221C Baker Street
by HogwartsScribbler
Summary: Set just after "The Great Game". Mrs Hudson has finally had the basement flat 221C fixed up and is looking for someone to rent it. Enter Collette, an odd girl who might just be Sherlock's match. SherlockXOC.
1. The Basement Boarder

"Absolutely not, he's a pervert." Sherlock announced infront of the the uncomfortable man sitting opposite himself, John and Mrs Hudson. The man shifted in his seat, not knowing how to respond to such an opening statement.

"Sherlock, for god's sake!" John started angrily, he had lost his patience with the detective.

"Why would you say that? I'm not a pervert." The man said in his defence.

"Of course you are. Left sleeve of an internet porn addict and in the first minute you've been here; you've casually glanced at Mrs Hudson's chest at least six times." Sherlock said in a bored tone, causing Mrs Hudson to let out a gasp of shock and cross her arms over her chest. "So we can deduce one of two things: the less likely idea that you very much enjoy the floral pattern of Mrs Hudson's blouse or you enjoy breasts a little too much for the average man." Sherlock concluded and within an instant the man had shown himself out.

"Sherlock you can't keep doing this." John said as he rubbed his forehead.

"Doing what?" Sherlock asked, oblivious to the problems he was causing.

"This was the third one today you refused without even letting them talk and the other two left because you offended them. At this rate, 221C will remain empty." John shouted out as he stood to pace, he ran his hand over the back of his neck.

John and Sherlock were not technically needed for the process but Mrs Hudson wanted the boys to help her pick the new boarder for the basement flat 221C. After the entire incident with the Moriarty bombings and the house had been repaired; Mrs Hudson had thought it would be a great opportunity to have the flat renovated. She felt very uncomfortable having it empty; she did not want another criminal breaking into it again and that was quite likely to happen having someone like Sherlock living in the house. They had been interviewing potential boarders for the past week with no luck. Sherlock was not one to enjoy change and he had either refused or scared everyone off. Still, Mrs Hudson valued his opinion and was happy to keep away the perverts.

"I'll put the kettle on and make us some tea, shall I?" Mrs Hudson asked, getting up to do so without waiting for an answer. Sherlock let out a loud sigh and threw his head back against his chair.

"Please, tell me that was the last one for the day. This entire process is boring!" He said loudly. John couldn't help but make his own observation of Sherlock appearing a lot like a child throwing a tantrum when he was bored.

"One more for today, dear. A young lady, she sounded very sweet on the phone. A foreigner too!" Mrs Hudson called out from the kitchen. Sherlock groaned out at the word 'foreigner'.

"Some girl, just out of school looking to have a crazy yet deeply meaningful vacation overseas but not quite adventurous enough to go anywhere that doesn't speak English. American most likely." Sherlock guessed as he settled into his chair more. She wouldn't be arriving for at least another half hour, as they had arranged the interviews with time to spare inbetween, and Sherlock vaguely took notice of Mrs Hudson mentioning tea.

"Still, it might be nice having another woman in the house." Mrs Hudson said as she brought out a tray of tea and biscuits for them all. Sherlock, of course was no longer listening as he focused on other things. John at least made the effort to respond with a polite smile and a quick 'thanks' as he helped himself to the tray. The time went by too quickly for all but Sherlock who really just wanted Mrs Hudson to give up on the silly idea of finding another person for their perfectly full house. He was content with two housemates, he did not believe the odds were in his favor for finding another person who he would approve of. A single buzz sounded up the stairs and Mrs Hudson got up with excitement to go welcome the new guest. John looked over to Sherlock and growled out a quiet warning.

"Be nice. Unless this woman is truly mad; keep your mouth shut." He said quickly and gave Sherlock a look of annoyance. Sherlock decided to at least give the girl a chance to speak. John couldn't hold it against him if he did that much.

Collette looked at the older woman with a smile as they introduced themselves. Removing her thick coat and hanging it up with the others, she followed Mrs Hudson up the stairs and took in any details that stood out.

"Now, I'll introduce you to the boys in the flat upstairs. They're good boys, really. If that goes well then I'll show you the flat." Mrs Hudson said cheerfully. Collette thought it was strange, it sounded as if she had to pass some kind of test before she could even see the flat in question. She was willing to at least try it, the other flats she had looked at were either too expensive or came with uncomfortably friendly older men as landlords. Stepping into the living room of 221B, Collette looked around a little but mostly focused on the two men sitting in armchairs on the other side of the room. The blonde man got up quickly and moved closer with his hand outstretched. She took his hand and shook it gently, his own touch was gentle yet firm.

"Great to meet you, I'm John Watson." John said with a smile before letting go of the younger woman's hand.

"Collette Mills, nice to meet you." Collette said politely, she looked over to the darker haired man who remained seated and simply watched. Mrs Hudson showed her to a chair before sitting on the same side of the room at the boys. Collette felt as if she was in a job interview and somehow felt more nervous. Her hand found it's comfort zone and rubbed her lower stomach.

"This is Sherlock Holmes. Don't mind him." John said quickly seeing that Sherlock was not going to introduce himself. John shot him another look. Collette noticed but was unsure what was going on. Sherlock sat and observed, he had no intention to introduce himself as that might result with him saying more and upsetting John. Collette gave Sherlock a small smile but soon directed her eye contact to Mrs Hudson, she was the landlady afterall.

"So what would you like to know?" Collette asked, not knowing why she was in her potential neighbour's flat nor that she was currently being read by the world's only consulting detective.

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, how are you liking England?" John said before Sherlock could make a sarcastic comment about knowing everything already. John was already on damage control, he asked safe questions and prayed that the girl could answer them without earning a remark from Sherlock.

"Well, I'm 23 and Australian but you could probably tell that from my accent. I'm quiet and I mostly keep to myself so you won't have to worry about me being too annoying if I lived upstairs. I arrived a week ago, still adjusting to the timezone and the weather but really liking it so far." Collette replied, she silently scolded herself for barely saying a thing about her actual personality.

"I've always wanted to visit Australia. Do you see kangaroos often?" Mrs Hudson said cheerfully. Collette smiled, somehow everyone she met outside Australia seemed fascinated by kangaroos.

"Often enough. They are as common back home as deer would be over here. Not in the cities of course but out in the country it's easy to spot them." Collette tried to explain. The fascination was always strange to her as kangaroos were a common sight and not overly special in Australia. It was easy to forget that they were not anywhere else. The conversation continued on from there, Collette eventually calmed down as John and Mrs Hudson made small talk only. She found it very interesting to hear about Sherlock being a consulting detective but didn't dare to ask him about it. His intense staring had made her uncomfortable.

"Well I think we've taken up enough of your time, I think you'd be a great housemate. Right Sherlock?" John said optimistically, thinking Sherlock had finally learnt his lesson as he had remained silent throughout the entire conversation. And invitation was too much for Sherlock, who had bottled up everything he had wanted to say.

"Oh yes, do try not to cry too much at night though as you wouldn't want to disturb Mrs Hudson." Sherlock said with as much control as he could muster. Collette looked at him strangely.

"Um, what do you mean?" Collette asked, a fatal question for most people talking to Sherlock.

"Damnit Sherlock, don't start!" John quickly snapped but it was all too much for Sherlock already.

"You've recently come out of a long term relationship, there's a mark on your ring finger where an engagement once sat. The same engagement ring is now on your right hand, you've kept it for sentimental reasons which show that he must have been the one to break it off. You've unconsciously touched your stomach several times, I'm going to go ahead and say that you have either had a miscarriage or an abortion; either way you feel remorseful and it was likely the cause for your breakup. Now you've come alone to another country but you're very soft spoken and not likely to do things often by yourself so that shows that the breakup was bad enough to drive you away from your home in an attempt to 'escape' your current situation. All in all, I'd say we're in for a good few months of you crying yourself to sleep." Sherlock said all too quickly. John sighed and rubbed his forehead, half expecting the girl to be tears and running out of the room by the time Sherlock had finished speaking. John was naturally shocked when instead of tears he saw the girl smiling, she even chuckled at the end.

"Sherlock, that was very rude." Mrs Hudson scolded but knew better than to argue further.

"Wow." Was all Collette could say at first. Sherlock sat up straighter with a smug smile, obviously the girl was impressed.

"Yes, John's said it all before but go ahead and try to describe my brilliance." Sherlock said, already becoming bored with the situation again but always open to hearing someone being amazed by him.

"No, I'm sorry that's not what I meant when I said wow. It's just kind of funny, they said you were really good with 'deductions' but you got everything about me wrong." Collette said as politely as she could without chuckling. The detective had remained silent the entire time she was there and when he finally spoke, he didn't get a single thing right about her. For the first time, John saw Sherlock look stuck.

"What? What do you mean I got everything wrong?!" Sherlock almost shouted in the girl's face.

"I'm sorry, can't always be right I suppose." Collette said kindly, thinking it was probably very easy to confuse things about people.

"Not for Sherlock." John said with an entertained smile.

"Oh. Well anyway, mind if I see the flat now? I should be heading back to the hotel soon afterall, it's getting late." Collette said to Mrs Hudson, not wanting to cause an awkward moment between the men she had met. Mrs Hudson quickly lead her down to the basement flat while Sherlock went over everything in his head.

"How is this possible?" Sherlock said aloud as he tapped his fingers together. Everything added up perfectly. He could not possiblty be wrong.

"You've never met someone who was different to how they present themselves?" John asked, now unsure if he should be amused or scared that Sherlock was so perplexed. He silently wondered if Sherlock was broken or if this was something that could set him off on a murder spree.

"I can't be wrong! She's just lying to hide her embarassment. I'll have to prove it!" Sherlock shouted and once again reminded John of a spoilt child, giving him permission to dismiss the thoughts of Sherlock hacking up women of Collette's description.

**Author's note: So that's the first chapter. Let me know what you think. I am currently working on other stories so this one might not be updated regularly. I hope to though as it is my first Sherlock story and I have a lot I want to write on it already.**


	2. The Basement Boarder pt II

Collette looked around the small basement flat as Mrs Hudson opened the curtains to the right of her. The flat itself contained a small kitchen and bathroom, one bedroom and a living area. It would be cramped when filled with furniture but Collette was alone and didn't have any intention of entertaining much. It came partially furnished, which was good for Collette as she had no furniture of her own.

"Now I know it's not much and the boys upstairs are difficult to live with..." Mrs Hudson started in a soft voice, no one had made it into the actual flat before this girl and so she was cautious. Collette chuckled and looked over.

"You know Mrs Hudson, most landladies would be trying to talk the place up, not down." Collette said with a friendly smile.

"Oh, yes of course. It's just that we can't seem to find someone to rent. It's very reasonably priced and you seemed to handle yourself well with Sherlock, I know not everyone can. It would also be quite lovely to have another girl in the house so there would be more to talk about than murder." Mrs Hudson said, saying the word murder as if it were a casual topic of discussion. Collette shifted from one foot to the other and caught herself touching her stomach again, she quickly pulled her hand away; it really was an obvious habit of hers.

"To be frank, I'm sick of staying in a hotel and living off takeaway. So the sooner I can move in, the better." Collette said, seeing a look of relief spread over Mrs Hudson's face. Collette silently wondered if she had chosen the right flat, but it came with the friendly face of the older woman and two men living upstairs who could keep away any prowlers. She reasoned with herself that while Sherlock might be an odd one to deal with, he at least did not grab her backside nor suggest that she could work off her rent in other ways. Her small analysis of the situation was cut short as Mrs Hudson moved in and hugged the younger girl. Collette wasn't sure how to react but after a moment placed her hands on the older woman's back.

"Is tomorrow too soon to move in? I'll make you a lovely roast dinner so you won't have to worry while you're moving all your things." Mrs Hudson said into Collette's shoulder.

"I don't have all that much to move, but that sounds nice." Collette replied politely before stepping back. Sherlock watched silently from the doorway, his dark clothes hiding him well as he listened to the two women. While he did not particularly like the girl; she might prove to be interesting for a week or two. He would find out the truth about her.

A long cab trip later saw Collette sitting alone in her small hotel room with a plastic container of chinese infront of the tv. As she ate and let her thoughts run wild, she took notes on what she would need to buy and do for tomorrow. She liked Mrs Hudson a lot, the older woman reminded her so much of her own mum. John seemed friendly enough but was easily set off by Sherlock.

Sherlock, she thought, would be a nightmare to live with. While Sherlock appeared to be the better looking of the two men, Collette heavily disliked his looks. She thought his eyes were too small, his body was too thin, his cheekbones were far too sharp and his lips... she just didn't like them. But then one should not judge a book by it's cover, Collette thought, too bad that Sherlock seemed to be worse on the inside than on the outside. He had spilled out all the things he had 'deduced' about her quickly and without emotion. If Collette really had been through a difficult breakup and lost a child, she could imagine how terribly hurt and offended she would be to hear a perfect stranger talk about her like that. Collette was a soft spoken person and on occasion could easily be upset by someone if they knew how to go about it, she considered herself lucky that Sherlock was not one of those people. Finishing her dinner, Collette cleaned everything up and began to pack as much into her suitcases as possible before going to bed; it would be a long day tomorrow.

"John!" Came the shout of Sherlock, essentially making John out to be a dog at his beck and call. John came in from the kitchen away putting away the dishes from dinner, he was somewhat conscious of how messy they were now that a young woman was moving in. Mrs Hudson had never complained too much about the mess the two boys made, instead she would just clean it herself. But John did not suspect that Collette would do the same. He sighed loudly to let his annoyance show as he walked into the living area.

"What now?" He asked as he looked over to Sherlock using his laptop once more.

"Your password to facebook." Sherlock said, ordering the information instead of asking for it.

"No way, not after last time." John said angrily, recalling Sherlock easily guessing the password and sending messages to John's girlfriend of the time about her taking up too much of his time. Needless to say, that relationship did not last long after that.

"I need it. She has a facebook page but it's private. You need to add her as a friend." Sherlock said, staring intently at the display picture of Collette and coming up blank.

"Why don't you make your own account and add her yourself? Besides, she won't be online now." John said, noticing the late hour. Sherlock looked over to John as if he were stupid.

"Facebook is a pointless waste of time that I have no intention of getting involved with. Now give me your password!" Sherlock shouted and looked at John expectantly.

"I'm not giving it to you. But I will log on and add her as a friend in the morning if you go to bed now." John said, attempting a compromise. The debate would continue long into the night.

Collette checked out of the hotel and with some difficulty made it into a cab, she had with her two large suitcases, her laptop bag and handbag. She was only a small girl and so looked rather ridiculous trying to manage everything while also wearing more layers than usual to cope with the weather. While in the cab she was able to relax until anxiety crept up on her, that morning she had checked both John's blog and Sherlock's website. They really did get deeply involved with murders and other dangerous cases. And while she hated to admit it, Sherlock did seem to know more about deducing than she believed. Collette vaguely wondered if she was so difficult to read because she was weird. Collette never considered herself normal or well-adjusted and so it probably meant she did things that were confusing or misleading.

Arriving in Baker street, Collette prepared herself for the day to come. The cab driver was kind enough to help with the suitcases. Collette looked at the dark door and inspected the gold plating for a moment; '221B & 221C'. She was to be sharing a door with the boys upstairs, which figured. She rang the buzzer twice and was surprised to hear footsteps all but running down the stairs to answer. The door swung open and Sherlock stood in the doorway with a large, fake smile plastered on his face.

"Collette, good morning!" He all but beamed at her before eyeing her luggage carefully, a large dark purple suitcase and a slightly smaller suitcase in a disgusting hot pink colour. Her laptop bag and handbag were both in black. Collette decided to save them both time.

"Purple is my favorite colour and I stole the pink suitcase from my sister, I do not like pink; at least not in that shade. Can I come in?" She explained and looked up to Sherlock who must have realised he had been quiet for too long.

"Of course, let me help you with your bags." Sherlock said politely, having received a lecture from John that morning about 'catching more flies with honey'. While the science was not sound, Sherlock did agree that Collette might be more open around him if he was nice for a while. Collette smiled and picked up the purple suitcase while leaving the pink one for Sherlock. Another odd detail, he thought, most women would leave the larger bag for the man. He briefly wondered if something of importance or value was in the purple suitcase. The two stepped inside and Sherlock waited while Collette struggled out of her thick black coat.

"Good morning Collette, now Mrs Hudson's gone grocery shopping for some big dinner tonight but she gave me the key to your flat incase you got back before she-" John paused at the top of the staircase and looked down with amusement. Sherlock Holmes, master detective was standing beside Collette with a large hot pink suitcase in his hand. The two looked like an odd couple on vacation. John quickly pushed the thought away before coming down to take the other suitcase from Collette, which she happily let him carry. Sherlock decided the case was not carrying anything valuable. The two men walked down the stairs with the large suitcases as Collette went ahead to open the door to her new flat. The boys sat the cases down just inside the door and looked around; John out of curiousity and Sherlock out of habit. Sherlock mapped out where everything was located, knowing he could understand her better if they came down later to see if anything had been moved.

"Was this the lot then?" John asked.

"Um, yeah. I'll need to go shopping for a few things. I don't suppose you know where I can get cheap furniture?" Collette asked, directing the question to John.

"Why? You've got a bed, couch, table and chairs. What more could you need?" Sherlock asked, his politeness quickly fading as the need for answers arose in him.

"A desk, coffee table, just a few things to make the place feel more lived in." Collette answered vaguely. John shot Sherlock a warning glance.

"I know a few places nearby, I'll take you if you like." John offered, knowing the girl wouldn't know the area.

"That would be great, thank you." Collette replied. Sherlock rolled his eyes at the annoyingly dull pleasantries.

"I would be happy to unpack for you." Sherlock offered, putting his polite tone back on.

"Um, no thank you. I can do that myself and I don't really like the idea of you going through my things." Collette said bluntly as she sat down her laptop bag on the couch with the gentleness of a mother handling a child. Sherlock smirked as he knew he had found her prized possession. Collette signalled both of the men out as she locked the door behind her.

"Right, let's go shall we?" John asked as he grabbed his things from his own flat. Sherlock casually made his way into the living area and picked up the newspaper as he attempted to look busy until the two left.

An hour later saw John and Collette looking at flat pack furniture in a large department store. Collette began the long and annoying task of picking out everything she would need.

"So the strangest thing happened to me this morning. My phone woke me at 4am to tell me I've got a friend request on facebook..." Collette said not so casually as she tested the sturdiness of a coffee table.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Sherlock wasn't happy that your profile is on private." John tried to explain as he rubbed the side of his neck.

"It's fine, I figured a detective would do a little more than facebook stalking though. I haven't accepted you yet either, I thought I'd check first and now I might leave it a while longer just to annoy him. I read your sites this morning too, I really like your blog." Collette said, an attempt to make small talk. She should develop some sort of friendship with her housemates.

"Thanks. Sherlock is not a fan of it. He says I leave out all the actual facts about solving the cases." John complained.

"It would be boring if you only wrote about facts. I'm a writer myself, well kind of." Collette admitted as she loaded a coffee table flatpack onto the large trolley John had been pushing.

"Oh yeah? Would I have read any of your works?" John asked with interest.

"No, well it's not likely. I write ebooks, mostly aimed at women. I cover a few topics: beauty, fashion and household tips. My main sellers are home remedies for beauty and cleaning. It's not much but I enjoy doing it. I'll be looking for a part time job though." Collette explained. The two made small talk for a while as they picked out the rest of her furniture. After arranging for it all to be delivered, the two headed home. John looked over to Collette as they rode along in the cab.

"So I've got to ask. Was Sherlock really wrong about all of it yesterday?" John asked, still amused at the sight of Sherlock going crazy for answers on her.

"Hmm, I'll tell you but only if you promise not to tell. It will be more fun that way." Collette said with a cheeky smile, already looking forward to the torture it would cause Sherlock for John to know about her and not him.

"Oh god yes, I promise. This will be brilliant." John replied, causing Collette to laugh.

"Never been engaged, I bought this ring about two years ago. I switch it onto my wedding finger often when I go out, I'm kind of shy so it's just easier to pretend I'm engaged than to have deal with random guys hitting on me. Men typically take no for an answer when the woman is engaged. I touch my stomach a lot out of habit. About four months ago I had surgery and the recovery time was harsh, while everything is fine now; I still place my hand where the wound was." Collette explained, not showing any shame as she unbuttoned her shirt enough for John to see the scar. While most people would be embarassed to show someone they had recently met such a private thing; Collette was not at all bothered with it.

"Sherlock grouped the two things together instead of seeing them as separate. That must be why he thought you had an abortion or miscarriage." John said, examining the scar with a doctor's eye but not pushing to know more about it.

"He must have." Collette replied but closing her shirt off again.

"So, no breakup? What brought you all the way to London on your own?" John asked further.

"No breakup. I'm not great with relationships, I'm pretty sure I'm emotionally stunted. And my dad is English, came to Australia when he was young. It probably sounds a bit silly but I wasn't really doing much with my life back home so I thought it might be nice to get in touch with my English roots. Though I would never be silly enough to say I came here to 'find myself' or whatever it is people say." Collette finished off, John couldn't help but feel proud of himself as he had found all the answers Sherlock wanted simply by asking for them.

Arriving back at the flat, John looked around in puzzlement as Sherlock was no longer in the living area. This was an unlikely occurance as Sherlock typically remained where he was seated and often never even noticed John leaving. It took a few moments before everything came together in John's head and he made his way down to the basement. Collette was kneeling down, going through the pink suitcase and unpacking books as an angry looking Sherlock sat on the couch with a purple laptop on his knees.

"Sherlock! Don't you ever learn?" John shouted, not understanding why Collette seemed so calm.

"Don't worry. He hasn't even guessed the password yet. The entire time we've been gone and he doesn't have a clue." Collette smiled up to John.

"Who sets their password hint as 'I'm not telling'? Who?!" Sherlock shouted, frustrated at his own lack of ability on this particular case. John smiled and walked over to Sherlock, closing the laptop and taking it away carefully.

"Apologise and go back to our flat." John said calmly, once again amused that the new girl had somehow bested Sherlock without even trying.

"Apologise? Don't be silly John." Sherlock said, calming down as he knew he would have plenty of time to work Collette out.

"What I don't understand is why you didn't go through my suitcases." Collette asked as she moved her few larger possessions to where they would be housed.

"The suitcases? Nothing of real importance in there. Your laptop is your baby, that's where I need to be focussing." Sherlock answered as he finally got up from his spot on the couch.

"Well, you did get that one right. It is my baby." Collette said while sharing a playful glance with John.

"You're handling this well, for someone who's had their privacy violated." John said, ushing Sherlock out of the flat.

"I'm from a big family, I never had any privacy to begin with." Collette answered, honestly not minding. She knew if Sherlock had actually got into her laptop, she would have skinned him alive. John just smiled, glad Sherlock had not caused too much drama yet.

"Well, welcome to our family."

**Author's note: Thanks everyone for the support so far. Please continue to let me know what you think! This is the longest chapter I have ever written in all of my fanfics. I must admit it's odd, as I have always struggled to get to at least 1000 words with other stories and this one is almost at 3000 without even trying. This and the first chapter were actually meant to be one but just wouldn't fit. I guess I just love writing Sherlock.**


	3. The Slender Notes

**Author's note: First off, thanks everyone for the support! And secondly, this chapter will be the first time I attempt creating a case for Sherlock. I might use cases from the series at some point but for this first one it will be made up. Please forgive lack of brilliance or detective skills, we can't all be as smart as Moriarty or Sherlock. Also, a quick shoutout to AdorkableAud, who is a guest on fanfiction but has still reviewed my stories a lot, you rock!**

"John, clear the fridge out. I'll be picking up a torso later that I want to keep fresh!" Sherlock shouted from the front door as the sound of his excited footsteps grew louder.

"Isn't it about time we get a second fridge for all the body parts?" John moaned as he sat down his newspaper and picked up his morning coffee. Sherlock burst in through their flat door as he removed his scarf.

"That would only encourgage me to fill the flat with... what is _she_ doing here?" Sherlock said as he spotted Collette sitting in his own armchair and unceremoniously eating a bowl of cereal.

"Tv." Collette said simply with a mouthful and pointed to the morning news show she was engaged in. Sherlock's lips twisted into a look of distaste. She had been living in the basement flat for a month now and had yet to buy her own television. Sherlock was starting to suspect she avoided buying one on purpose, just to annoy him.

"I thought the new job was going well, isn't it about time you bought your own?" Sherlock asked dryly while making his way over to chair.

"How'd you know about my job?" Collette asked as she moved from Sherlock's chair to the arm of Sherlock's chair. She had made herself more at home in the Baker street house and enjoyed messing with Sherlock. He was relatively harmless once she got to know him and very fun to annoy. Sherlock stared at her sitting on the arm of his chair as if it were some kind of improvement. He would not let her win the game they played often and so he sat down and did his best to look comfortable with her far too close to him. Sherlock could not explain what it was about Collette that bothered him so much, it was most likely the fact that whenever she was around his skills seemed to fail him.

"John congratulated you on facebook. I do not understand why, a part time job at a pub hardly seems like an achievement." Sherlock said, unaware of the insult he had added in. By now Collette knew better than to be offended.

"Probably because you've never been broke." Collette replied and placed her barefeet on Sherlock's leg as revenge. He still had no idea how to respond to most contact from her.

"Ah yes, that must be it." Sherlock replied dryly and got up, surrendering the chair to Collette as he moved to the kitchen to clear the fridge out himself.

"Have I ever told you how good it is to have you with us?" John said with a smile. With Collette in the house, Sherlock forgot to pester John as much as usual.

"So any new cases?" Collette whispered over to John. She had learnt that Sherlock was often very unpredictable if he hadn't had a good case in a while and getting excited over a torso seemed quite strange. Of course Collette was still blissfully unaware of some of Sherlock's habits and she had yet to catch him performing his experiments on body parts at 2 in the morning.

"Nothing that he found stimulating. One about a man's missing wife. He refused the case and said the answer was obvious." John replied in a soft tone.

"And was it obvious?" Collette asked as she finished her cereal.

"No idea, he never told me what it was." John replied seriously before laughing quietly with Collette. Sherlock returned to the room once more with a grin on his face.

"Murder. John, let's go." Sherlock announced, having just received a text from Lestrade. Collette sat up with interest.

"There's been a murder? Can I come see?" She asked, wanting to see what Sherlock could really do on a case. Sherlock looked over, a little pleased that Collette had shown interest but assumed her being around would distract him.

"No, you have no reason for being at the scene and you're not properly attired." Sherlock replied dismissively as he waved his hand to jesture to her pajama pants.

"Fine, John text me and let me know how it goes." Collette replied. There was no point in arguing with Sherlock, at least not over something like this. John grabbed his coat and the boys made their way down to catch a cab.

"Why did she tell you to text her? Clearly I would be more capable of explaining the case." Sherlock asked once the boys were seated in the back of a cab and on their way to the murder site.

"Because you couldn't explain anything without needlessly complicating it of course. And by the way, how did you guess the new password to my facebook?" John replied as he looked over to the darker featured man.

"I mistook your mind for a more complex one, once I realised my mistake it was easy to guess." Sherlock said casually, once again failing to notice the insult he dished out. John huffed a little but knew better than to hold it against Sherlock.

"I'll only change it again." John said bitterly.

"Why bother? I shall discover any new password as easily as this one." Sherlock replied as he typed away at this phone to gather information.

"So the case, tell me about the murder." John said, changing to topic to stop himself from getting angry.

"Very little to tell right now. A teenager was found dead in Epping forest with a note in his pocket. The note seems to be the most interesting part." Sherlock explained before focusing himself for the case, which meant the rest of the long cab ride was silent.

Arriving at the site, Sherlock did as he was so skilled at doing while John observed the medical side of things and had the uncomfortable task of talking to the teenager's parents. Sherlock was able to pick up several things; the boy was not killed in the forest but dumped, he had not written the note, his parents were clueless and he had been strangled to death. What Sherlock was unable to work out was the note found in the boy's pocket. It did not appear to be a suicide letter nor a warning from the killer. It made little sense and Sherlock enjoyed that.

"Don't look... or it takes you." Sherlock repeated the note to himself as the boys walked up the stairs to their flat.

"What does it mean?" John asked, having no understanding of it either.

"I have no idea but it's so exciting!" Sherlock said happily, it had been some time since they had a proper murder case.

"Sherlock, a kid has died." John scolded, already knowing as he said it that Sherlock wouldn't learn anything from the scolding. Sherlock did not pay attention to John as he had heard the same tone and similar words time and time again. Instead Sherlock pinned the letter to the large, empty area on the wall set up for clues.

"Find out all you can on the boy, I want you to go to his school and interview his friends. Find out if he had enemies." Sherlock ordered, John had always been useful in doing the small, tedious tasks of a case. He had also been useful in talking to people as Sherlock knew he did not have a skill for it.

Days passed and no leads. John had done his part and discovered that the boy was well liked. No one had wanted this boy dead. The lack of progress was starting to make Sherlock frustrated. He was hoping for a second murder to provide more information.

"What are you doing?" Collette's voice interrupted Sherlock's thoughts as he stared at his empty clue board, the only item on it being the note.

"Thinking, if you don't mind." Sherlock said quietly as he placed both his hands together and attempted to regain focus.

"How's the case going?" She continued, looking over to John this time.

"Slowly. No leads really and I think it's bothering him." John answered from over his laptop.

"I would appreciate it if the two of you went somewhere else to talk about me, so that I might have some silence." Sherlock said without moving his gaze from the board. Collette raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, I didn't want to say anything earlier because frankly, we all know Sherlock works in strange ways. But if you guys are seriously trying to solve a murder, shouldn't Sherlock not be distracted by Slender man?" Collette asked before pointing to the picture on the board. At this both men looked up to her as if she were speaking in tongue.

"Sorry, what's Slender man?" John asked first.

"You know, Slender man. Did Sherlock stumble upon the game and is having a difficult time accepting that it can't be beaten? That's where the picture is from right, it's one of the drawings?" Collette said, feeling as if she had lost both the boys through her words.

"You know what this note means?" Sherlock asked after a moment of just looking at Collette.

"Yes, why?" Collette asked confused, it was just a drawing.

"That was found on the boy's body." John said quietly, having yet to actually tell Collette about the case as they had made no progress on it. Collette looked blank for a moment, not used to dealing with murder before her mind cleared again.

"Explain Slender man and this game, now." Sherlock ordered in a deep, comanding voice.

"Um, well... Slender man is a made up paranormal creature, like the boogeyman. The whole concept got popular online a while ago. A game came out about him called Slender. You're alone in a forest and you have to collect eight notes, Slender man will constantly follow you and will eventually catch you, even if you get the notes. It's just creepy really. That note up there is one of the eight you need to collect in the game." Collette explained as best she could while looking it all up on John's laptop for him to read. Sherlock's nose wrinkled a little as he heard her talk, while they now knew what the note was about; it only proved to create more questions.


	4. The Slender Notes Pt II

**Author's note: Hi all and thanks for the support. A few readers have asked if I made up Slender man. The answer is no, he really is something circulating around online. If you look him up you'll find a few pages and scary pictures. Just wanted to clear that up, please read and review.**

Collette yawned loudly and checked the clock. 3 am. She only worked at the pub on weekends and so she had free time for the rest of the week. This set up was actually bad for Collette as without a proper reason to get up at a decent hour, it often meant she found herself sitting up late into the night. She knew she needed to go to bed, but right now she was getting a lot of good writing done for a new book she intended to sell. It still confused Collette; she could write popular books about beauty and dating with advice that actually helped girls but she could not use the advice herself. She took a moment to look away from her laptop and realised she also needed to take her own advice from her cleaning guides. Her flat was a mess. Four empty mugs sat on her coffee table, two of which did not even belong to her. With a loud sigh she saved her work and got up, intent on returning the two mugs before she forgot about them for another day.

Padding softly up the stairs to not wake Mrs Hudson or the boys; Collette creeped past the living room and into the kitchen. There was just enough light coming from the windows for her to navigate without bumping into anything.

"Trouble sleeping?" Came the terrifying voice of Sherlock, Collette almost jumped out of her skin as she looked over to see a shadowy figure sitting in the leather armchair.

"What are you doing?!" Collette shouted in an angry whisper.

"Thinking." Sherlock replied simply. Collette sat the mugs down in the sink and moved over to sit in John's chair.

"So no progress on the case?" Collette asked, it had been two days since she explained Slender man to them.

"John returned to the boy's school. Slender man is very popular amongst the boy's friends but none of them showed any reaction to being questioned about it. The information about the note was purposely held from the media. Lestrade thinks it would cause panic amongst the masses. Hopefully there will be another murder soon to shed more light." Sherlock said in a stoic tone. Collette sighed, knowing she would have to perform John's duties as he was likely sleeping like any normal person would be.

"Sherlock, it isn't right to hope for another teenager to be murdered." Collette said in an almost motherly tone.

"It doesn't have to be a teenager, anyone will do." Sherlock replied, missing the point completely.

"Right... goodnight Sherlock." Collette replied while forcing herself from the chair.

"Enjoy your impromptu cleaning session and I can't wait to read your latest guide." Sherlock replied while picking up his violin. Collette didn't bother asking how he knew but decided the cleaning session could wait until the morning. She already knew he had read all of her guides for his research on her, he had even gone so far as to post a very insulting review on one to his website.

Collette silently wondered if she would ever truly understand Sherlock as she threw herself into bed. She cared about him and John, they were her strange family away from home. But it was sometimes annoying when she couldn't read Sherlock the way she seemed to read others. She would never say she could deduce things about people, but she was more observant than others probably were. Sleep finally took over as her brain continued to travel over different thoughts.

"Wake up!" Collette's eyes shot open as the loud voice of Sherlock bloody Holmes hit her ears. She had only just fallen asleep, or so it felt.

"Coming." Collette mumbled into her pillow as her eyes closed slowly.

"Now!" Sherlock continued to shout as he tore the blankets back off Collette's body, the cold of a London morning hit her as she curled up in a ball.

"Jesus Sherlock, let her get dressed at least." Came the slightly more reasonable voice of John Watson. Collette opened her eyes, this time she was more awake. Sherlock was standing over her, actually taking the time to notice her lack of pajama pants. John was standing at the foot of her bed, looking away awkwardly as to not offend her.

"Pass me my pants and tell me what's going on. What time is it anyway?" Collette said gruffly, she was not a morning person. Sherlock looked around and quickly found her disgarded pants on the floor.

"A body has been found this morning with another note. We're going to St Bart's now to look it over. You're coming. And 9am... 9.12 to be exact. Get up." Sherlock said more calmly as he handed over the pants. Collette pulled them on and sat up, pushing a hand through her short and likely messy hair.

"Why do I need to come? I haven't even had my much needed 8 hours." Collette replied as she forced herself out of bed and moved over to her drawers, pulling out a bra and warm clothes.

"Because you understand this Slender man much better than John or I. It would be easier to just bring you along to look things over." Sherlock replied as the sleep deprived girl took her pajama pants back off and pulled on a pair of jeans.

"Alright, but you owe me for this. John, please go boil the kettle and make me a coffee. You'll find the travel mugs at the back of the cupboard with all the regular mugs, make yourself one if you like. Sherlock, get out of my room." Collette ordered as she pulled her shirt off, her back to the boys. John quickly left the bedroom and moved into the kitchen to do as he was asked. Sherlock took a little longer but soon realised he was staring and left the bedroom.

"John, what is Hello Kitty?" Sherlock asked as he strode out of the bedroom and over to the desk to examine a few papers scattered over it. The kitchen and living room were joined in Collette's smaller flat. John looked through the low kitchen cupboard before taking out two coloured travel mugs. Blue and purple, of course one had to be purple, Sherlock thought.

"It's a cartoon character, I think. Why?" John asked, having missed the connection.

"That was written on her underwear." Sherlock answered as he began going through some of her open bills.

"Sherlock, you shouldn't have been looking!" John scolded as he prepared the coffee for himself and Collette. He already knew Sherlock wouldn't want one as his mind was on the case or at least it was.

"Her door was unlocked and she wasn't wearing pants. Obviously she does not mind." Sherlock said logically.

"She doesn't bother to lock the door because you've picked it open countless times and she probably doesn't like wearing pants to sleep." John said seriously. Collette left her room fully dressed, having briefly freshened up in her attached bathroom. She moved over to the kitchen and pulled open the pantry door, grabbing out a few things and shoving them into her handbag before taking the offered coffee from John.

"Thanks. And Sherlock if you ever wake me like that again, I cannot be held responsible for punching you in the groin." Collette said sharply, Sherlock quickly noted that lack of sleep and food effected her mood drastically.

"Are you done? Because so far you've wasted 8 minutes that could have been used to solve this case." Sherlock said seriously. It was the wrong thing to say to a moody woman.

Sherlock sat in the cab and rubbed his now quite sore arm as Collette and John enjoyed coffee and muesli bars. Sherlock noted two things; food was a great source of keeping John quiet during cab rides and Collette could punch a lot harder than he expected of a small woman who took great pride in her nails.

"I'm sorry about that. You'll need to learn to wake me a bit more gently next time. Want one?" Collette said in a much sweeter tone and offered one of her bars, she was in a better mood now that she was awake and had something in her stomach. Sherlock looked out the window dismissively.

"I don't eat when I'm working." Sherlock replied.

"But if you don't eat now, you'll eventually have to stop and eat later when you could be working. It would be smart to use your cab time to both eat and think." Collette reasoned and waved the bar infront of Sherlock who took it silently and began to eat. John watched in awe, he had never been able to get Sherlock to eat while on a case.

Once at St Bart's, the trio headed down to the lab that housed the body of the latest 'Slender victim'. Sherlock entered the room like he entered his own flat, with an air of comfort, power and familiarity. Collette wondered how often he was in the morgue. To a new comer; the room was intimidating. Science equipment that she had only ever seen in crime shows were set up all around the room, a sickening smell of cleaning products hung in the air and a large window on the opposite side of the lab showed a room that kept the body on a large slab. Two unfamiliar faces stood chatting to the side. An older man with salt and pepper hair and a young woman in a lab coat who looked incredibly pleased to see Sherlock. That wasn't right, no one was pleased to see Sherlock. It quickly clicked, John had explained a lot of their work to Collette. She could easily guess that this woman was Molly.

"Who's she? You can't just be bringing random people here Sherlock." The older man spoke first, he didn't seem too impressed with her but somehow looked accepting; as if he was used to Sherlock doing unusual things.

"She's an expert in pop culture." Sherlock answered as he looked around the room for the note.

"Um, I'm just the girl who lives in the flat below him and happen to spend too much time online." Collette said quietly, not comfortable in the current situation.

"She recognised where the note was from." John explained.

"Oh, so you're the girl who understands this 'Slender' thing. I'm Inspector Lestrade." The man said in a much friendlier tone and offered his hand. Collette shook it gently.

"I'm Collette." She replied and looked over to Molly who looked as awkward and uncomfortable as her.

"This is Molly." John said, introducing the two women.

"It must be really interesting to live with Sherlock... oh and John." Molly said with a nervous smile. It was painfully clear that she liked Sherlock. Collette wasn't sure if she should feel sorry for the girl but somehow found herself slightly jealous. She wasn't sure if that meant she liked Sherlock more than she realised or that she was just jealous that Molly was brave enough to show her feelings. Collette had always had a hard time showing men she liked them, when a man came along that caught her attention enough that was. It wasn't often that she found herself attracted to anyone.

"It is, never a dull moment in our house. You should come over sometime to hang out." Collette said, quickly catching Sherlock's attention.

"Stop your woman gossip and let's get to work. Where's the note?" Sherlock said, not giving Molly a chance to answer. Lestrade handed over the note and Sherlock looked at Collette intently.

"Always watches no eyes. Um, yes that's from the game." Collette confirmed, wondering why she needed to come all this way when they could have just text her the note.

"Good, now let's check the body." Sherlock said before leading a silent Collette in to see the body. While Collette could handle most strange things; it really was a surreal experience to see a dead body for the first time. A teenage girl this time, her body covered with a white sheet from the chest down. Large bruises all around her neck. Collette just looked and placed a hand on John's arm. She would not admit to being uncomfortable, truthfully she did not know how she felt. Perhaps she was shocked that she did not react to it as strongly as a normal person would have. It was the same at funerals for her, everyone cried while she just stood and wondered why she wasn't crying. Collette tried to think logically, she didn't feel sad for the girl. She did feel pity that she had to die so young, but Collette knew that there were people still living who were suffering a lot more.

"What do you see John?" Sherlock spoke after what seemed like an eternity of silence but infact was a mere few seconds. John moved from Collette's side to examine the girl's neck.

"Well it looks like she was strangled by the same person, but this time from the front. The boy was strangled from behind." John said as he examined the girl's neck.

"So, the killer was looking this girl right in the eyes when he did it. The first one was more calculated, he had been planning it for a while. This one was more passionate, he's had a taste of power and wanted more." Sherlock announced, more to himself.

"Um, there's stuff under her nails, should you guys check that?" Collette said quietly as she pointed to the girl's hand. She couldn't look at the girl's face anymore and looked down to notice the girl's chipped nail polish and a slight look of dirt or grim under her nails.

"Ah yes, excellent!" Sherlock said as he moved to look at the girl's nails and take a sample.

"She fought back?" John said, a simple minded conclusion but a correct one.

"Yes, she likely dug her nails into his arms, tried to stop him." Sherlock said, already picturing the fight in his mind. They left the room and returned to the lab for Sherlock to start his tests on the sample.

"Who is this girl?" John finally asked Lestrade who had remained with Molly.

"Jenna Cowley. She goes to the same school and in the same year as the Chambers boy." Lestrade answered.

"John, make yourself useful. Go back to the school, interview her friends and check all the student's arms for claw marks." Sherlock said, losing himself in his work.

"I'll come, the parents weren't too happy when they realised John wasn't on the force. Having me there will make them feel more at ease." Lestrade said, Sherlock did not reply; his attention was gone. The boys left and Collette looked around, unsure what she could do. Just before she had the chance to leave, her stomach rumbled. Muesli bars were not enough for a proper breakfast.

"Oh um, I'll take you to the canteen. Sherlock will be here a while." Molly spoke up with a kind smile. Collette had nothing planned for the day besides cleaning and the chance to get to know Molly seemed like a much better option.

**Author's note: Me again, after writing this I realised that the kitchen cupboard bit might confuse people. In Australia it is fine to say that, but you might also know them as kitchen cabinets. Just putting that out there.**


	5. The Slender notes pt III

**Author's note: Hi all, just a quick note. Thank you to wynnleaf who pointed out a mistake I've been making. I have been writing as if Collette's flat was upstairs and not in the actual basement. The story has been updated and I will write her apartment as downstairs from now on. Sorry!**

"So how long have you been living with the boys?" Molly asked in a soft voice as she drank her coffee. Collette swallowed the mouthful of her sandwich and smiled.

"About a month and a half now. How long have you know Sherlock?" Collette said, wondering how long it took her to develop a crush on the detective.

"About three years now. He had been coming in before I worked here but the other people I work with don't like him too much. I guess that's why he comes in when I'm on." Molly said, quite aware that Sherlock did not return her feelings. Collette smiled.

"And he probably considers you a friend. Well, as much as Sherlock could consider a person a friend." Collette said kindly, already able to tell that Molly was a nice person. Molly blushed at the idea of being Sherlock's friend.

"He's really only nice to me when he needs something..." Molly said as she looked down to her coffee.

"He's the same with John and that's his best friend." Collette replied wit a smile. Molly laughed, she should have known Sherlock didn't treat anyone favorably.

"How are you enjoying it here? It must be really difficult to live in another country." Molly said in a friendly manner, wanting to know more about the girl who was essentially living with Sherlock.

"It's really nice, the boys are weird but actually interesting. I'm finding it a bit hard to make friends though, never really been that great with people. I have met a few people at the pub where I work, but it's not really the same thing, you know?" Collette answered as she finished off her brunch.

"I've been living in London for years and I'm still mostly on my own so I do know, yes." Molly replied with a smile. The girls continued to chat for a little while longer before eventually making their way back to the lab. They realised they had been gone a while when they saw John standing beside Sherlock, who had also finished running his tests.

"Any luck at the school?" Collette asked with interest.

"Well I don't think so but Sherlock seems to have stumbled upon something." John said as Sherlock almost growled out.

"I never stumble upon answers, John. There's a clear science to working these things out and this one is obvious." Sherlock replied as he worked his way through the school's website on his phone.

"Um, what's obvious?" John asked after a moment, annoyed with the look Sherlock gave him.

"Our murder is one of the teachers, not a student. John checked the students arms and got nothing." Sherlock started to explain.

"Hang on, that one boy had scratches on his arms..." John said quickly, he had done the work and thought he had a good lead.

"Yes, that boy is a rugby player. He got the scratches from sport, not the girl. What we found under the girl's nails were skin cells and fibres from a jumper. The fibres don't match the school uniform but both of the victims were taken from the school so the killer wouldn't have had time to change. There is never any sign of struggle around the school either nor did anyone remember anything odd so the killer had to be someone seen at the school often and trusted by both victims." Sherlock said with great understanding. He already had several suspects in mind.

"So we find a teacher who taught a class with both students in it?" John gathered as it all made more sense to him.

"I hope you catch this guy soon. With 8 notes in the game, that means there's a chance of this continuing until 8 people are dead, right?" Collette asked as she watched Sherlock work quickly on his phone.

"If this guy is killing his own students, I can't see him stopping at just 8." John replied as he waited for Sherlock to finish his reasearch.

"John, call Lestrade and tell him to meet us there. We'll have the killer by the end of the day." Sherlock said with confidence as he made his way to the door. Collette exchanged a glance with Molly and decided it was also her time to leave. She walked with John as Sherlock walked ahead, he did have longer legs afterall and seemed to be on a mission.

"He worked out the teacher just by looking over the school's website?" Collette whispered to John, knowing she would be without a doubt impressed if he got it right.

"I never understand it either." John replied, happy to have a normal person along for the case; at least normal compared to Sherlock. Before long the trio were sitting in a cab and making their way to the school. Collette silently wondered just how long the boys spent in cabs during their cases. She smiled to herself as she thought up silly books she could write 'Cab memos' and 'The art of summoning a cab everytime' being her favorites. She also took note that Sherlock had the magic power to get a cab with the greatest of ease. Perhaps it was just a Londoner thing, as she had yet to master her technique.

Soon they walked into the school as Lestrade joined them to make the arrest. It was surprising how much confidence the DI had in Sherlock without any real evidence being shown yet. Sherlock strode down the hallways with purpose as if he knew exactly where he was going, although he had yet to step foot in the school before now. The more confused three simply did their best to keep up. After a few minutes of walking and a moment in which Sherlock stopped to quietly ask which room he could find the teacher in question. The group burst into the computer lab and drew the attention of a small class and one already uncomfortable computer teacher. Collette stared at the teacher as one of the other school faculty members escorted the students out of the room. The man looked nothing like what she had expected a murderer to look like, not that she had ever met a murderer before. A middle aged man that was balding at the front but still managed to keep a ponytail at the back, glasses and a brightly coloured tie. She didn't want to stereotype but he looked like a harmless geek.

"So, why did you do it Mr Harris?" Sherlock began, already knowing the answer but wanting to watch the man react.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Who are you?" The man said quickly while stumbling over a few words. Sherlock moved closer and offered to shake the man's hand. Confused, the man took Sherlock's hand only to have the sleeve of his jumper pushed up. As expected, three dried, bloody spots remained on his arm from his last victim. Sherlock showed off the man's arm with a knowing smirk as if to say 'I told you so'. He then pulled his phone out to show off the school's website; most importantly to show off a photo from the school's website. It was a promotional photo of Mr Harris teaching a class. No one understand why the photo was important, not yet at least.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about and you know who we are. Kids can be cruel can't they, Mr Harris? Especially the popular ones who seem to get away with everything. They didn't respect you did they? They made your class into a joke." Sherlock said accusingly. Collette watched as Sherlock's deducing skills were put to work; the man was already crumbling under the pressure as if Sherlock was inside his head. It was amazing to watch when Sherlock got everything right.

"How?" Was all the soft spoken man was able to force out as fear and reality gripped onto him. He was going to prison. Sherlock zoomed in on the photo and showed it off once more. Now they could see: in the photo, while it was blurred, showed a student's computer screen behind Mr Harris. Instead of work showing on the screen, a familiar game was shown.

"They didn't take you seriously. Chose to play games during lessons instead of doing their work. You had to put a stop to that. You even added the notes in hopes of scaring others enough to get them to stop." Sherlock finished off with a smile. Once it was all out in the open, the teacher quickly broke down and confessed. The boy had often mocked him in class, enough to make Harris start fantasying about killing him. One day he took things too far and before he knew it, he had brought his fantasy into life. He dumped the body in the forest and tried to confuse anyone who found it with the note, hoping people would believe it was some kind of joke. He was content for a few days, until he overheard the girl in class making jokes about him. Once more, he snapped. They left Lestrade to do his job and returned to Baker street to fill Mrs Hudson in on everything that had happened.

"You know, I might have a new respect for you. What you do really is impressive." Collette said to Sherlock as she sat on the arm of his chair and sipped her tea. Sherlock smiled at the small compliment but was still not happy about sharing his space.

"I appreciate that. The only person I fail to understand in this world is you." Sherlock replied, still baffled by the girl. Collette smiled.

"Maybe you're just not meant to understand me." She replied.

"I doubt that." Sherlock replied before looking away. Collette laughed.

"You know what though? John does something far more impressive than you." She said, looking over to John.

"And what is that?" Sherlock asked, his attention caught again.

"He puts up with you." Collette smiled playfully. Sherlock was not amused.

"Oh get off my chair!" He snapped but instead found himself moving to leave the flat. A walk would clear his head.

"I think he's starting to like you." John said once the front door had slammed shut.

"He's always shouting at me, I don't think that counts." Collette replied with amusement.

"It's good for him. Mrs Hudson caters to him and I'm starting to be no better. You push his buttons and show him that he can't always have his way. He might actually learn something from you." John said seriously, having noticed a few small changes in Sherlock since Collette had been with them.

"Or I might just be the thing that pushes him to go on a killing spree." Collette replied with a smirk. Sherlock did not return and so after an hour the two headed down to the pub for an easy dinner to celebrate the end of the case. Time with just the two of them was often more tame than when Sherlock joined them. Sometimes it was good to relax and enjoy a peaceful evening and other times they were both reminded of how boring life was without the detective. Tonight was one of those nights that they were bored alone and so returned to the flat after eating.

"You really shouldn't have bothered, he won't eat." John said as they walked in, Collette had decided to be considerate and bring Sherlock dinner. Once their coats were off John noticed the door leading downstairs to Collette's flat open, not how she had left it.

"Bet you five pounds that he's trying to log onto my laptop again?" Collette asked and looked over to John who gave a nod of his head. He happened to know Sherlock had currently given up on trying to guess her password. The two made their way down to the basement flat and pushed open her door. Both were suprised. Collette pulled a five pound note from her wallet and handed it to John.

"Sherlock, what are you doing?" Collette asked after a moment as she watched the brilliant consulting detective set a television up in her living room.

"You needed one. Consider this your payment for the help you gave towards the case." Sherlock replied and looked over to her once everything was set up. Collette had no idea how to respond and she definitely had no intention of admitting that this was the most expensive thing a man had ever bought her. Sherlock came over and looked to her expectantly to know if she was happy with it. The price had not crossed his mind at all.

"Um, thanks." Collette said and pulled Sherlock in for a one armed hug, she still carried his dinner with one hand. Sherlock froze for a moment and looked to John for guidance, he was no help at all and looked close to laughing. Sherlock looked down to the short woman against him and carefully wrapped his arms around her briefly to return the hug. He was only ever used to motherly affection from Mrs Hudson.

"You're welcome." He replied quietly and watched as Collette stepped back and smiled up to him sincerely. The look on her face made him feel _different_.

"I got you chicken, hope that's ok." Collette said and held up the bag that carried a takeaway container.

"I'm not hungry." Sherlock replied simply, trying to regain his self control.

"Bullshit, the last thing you ate was a muesli bar this morning now sit down and eat." Collette ordered sharply. It did the job well enough as Sherlock moved to her couch and began to eat while John and Collette tried out her new tv. Baker street was starting to feel a lot like home.


	6. The Seating Solution

"John, put the kettle on." Sherlock said as he wandered into their shared living room, covered by his faithful sheet. Sherlock stopped and stared for a moment before growling as Collette was yet again sitting in his chair.

"Morning, slept in a bit today." Collette said cheerfully as she ate her usual bowl of sugary cereal.

"Why are you here? I bought you a television a week ago and you're still here." Sherlock said bitterly, he was hoping for a lazy morning. She had been eating breakfast in their flat every morning and had always used the excuse of not having a television.

"I ran out of milk." Collette replied with a shrug. Sherlock growled, he knew that was a lie. The woman was the type to be prepared for anything, she would never run out of milk. He suspected that she simply enjoyed annoying him.

"Get out of my chair." Sherlock ordered as he moved closer.

"Hmm, no. I got here first." Collette said with a smirk.

"Move or I will drop my sheet." Sherlock said in a childish manner. John could only sigh at the two's behavior. Collette smiled and purposely eyed Sherlock up and down.

"Go ahead. You haven't got anything I haven't seen before." She replied and took another mouthful of her food. Sherlock's mouth tensed into a look of distaste as he thought of a response.

"Oh the both of you, grow up." John snapped and moved from his seat to go make Sherlock a cup of tea.

"There, take John's seat." Sherlock said, gesturing with his shoulder as he arms were under his sheet.

"No, I like this seat better." Collette said, purposely acting vague.

"If you insist on eating breakfast in our flat then you must learn your place." Sherlock snapped.

"And where is my place? Sitting on the couch on the other side of the room? It's your chair or John's chair. I pick your chair but I'll be nice and share." Collette said, moving to the arm of his chair as always. Sherlock sighed and gave in as he sat down. He hated that she left the seat warm.

"Your place would be in your flat, incase you've forgotten." Sherlock replied.

"But then I'd be lonely. You don't want me getting all lonely do you?" Collette whispered playfully into Sherlock's ear, the heat of her breath hitting his skin. Sherlock only responded by shifting slightly in his chair. If anyone else had been watching, it would look like flirting but John knew better. Collette enjoyed pushing Sherlock's buttons but she knew that he would never be the type of man to take notice of flirting or any other displays of romantic sentiment.

"Do we have any clients?" Sherlock directed his attention to John, feeling slightly odd from Collette's interactions. He noticed the feeling more often lately but refused to acknowledge it.

"Um, kind of. Someone posted a job on my blog this morning. You don't need to worry about it, I can handle it." John said and handed Sherlock his tea. Sherlock's hands emerged from his sheet and took what was to be his breakfast. He couldn't help but be surprised by John wanting to take on a case alone.

"Why would assume my skills are not needed in this particular case?" Sherlock inquired, needing answers.

"It's not really a case. This guy's dog escaped and he's offering a pretty big reward for it's return." John said with embarassment, the job was not something Sherlock would take but the money was good.

"And why would anyone do that? He could easily buy a new dog." Sherlock said, not understanding the bond between a man and his pet.

"Probably because the guy loved his dog." Collette said simply, knowing that it would be a waste of time to explain it further.

"It's actually his daughter's dog. She's away at university and so he wants it found before she comes home this weekend." John replied.

"Alright then, I'll go get dressed and we'll get on the case." Sherlock said as he left a half empty cup of tea on the coffee table and stood up.

"Doesn't really sound that interesting compared to your last case." Collette said.

"No but still interesting. Humans are predictable, house pets in the city are not." Sherlock answered before walking off, Collette smiled and stood on the back of his sheet, causing it to fall to the ground. Sherlock grabbed onto what he could before looking back at the girl.

"Get off my sheet!" He shouted.

"Make me." Collette smirked. Sherlock grumbled before turning and holding his head high as he walked from the room. Collette couldn't help but laugh.

"Nice arse!" She shouted out after him. John looked over to Collette and gave him a look.

"You two are going to drive me mad, you know that?" He said, the scolding losing it's effect as he failed at hiding an amused smile.

"Sorry mum." She said playfully and kissed John on the cheek before heading off downstairs to get ready for the day. John chuckled and waited for Sherlock to go. Soon the two were off on the case of the missing Terrier.

Collette stepped out of the shower after spending far too long washing up. It was good to relax without the boys around, even though she loved pestering them. Sherlock had often commented about her long showers and the poor choice of music she had playing during them, though she could never quite work out how he knew the length of her showers. Collette wiped the steamy mirror off and pulled a face at herself before reaching for her hair dryer. Finding it gone, she growled out. Sherlock had a habit of borrowing it for some of his experiments. Knowing the boys were out, she wrapped a towel around herself and made her way up to their flat. Her heart almost stopped when she spotted a man sitting down in John's chair.

"Jesus Christ!" She said aloud. The man smiled over to her.

"It always does amuse me when people who claim to be atheists resort to calling out the names of religious figures. Didn't mean to surprise you." The man said as he sipped a cup of tea. Collette backed up as her mind worked quickly as she reached for the closest blunt object which happened to be a vase, there were only two men that she knew of who would break into the flat and she had yet to see either of them.

"Moriarty or Mycroft?" She forced out as bravely as she coud but still sounded quite weak. The man smiled once more.

"Mycroft. No need to worry, if Moriarty was after you then you'd already be dead, drugged or kidnapped by now." The man said before taking out a security card that contained his picture and name, he hoped it was enough to ease the girl's nerves. Collette scanned the card before sitting the vase back down and became painfully aware of her almost naked form.

"Ok, I believe you. Wished we could have met on less awkward terms but not much can be done about that now." Collette said and moved closer. Mycroft put away his card and offered her a cup of tea.

"Sit down and join me, won't you? I had been looking forward to meeting you though assumed you would not get into a car as easily as John. This seemed like a much better option." He said politely.

"You came here to meet me?" Collette asked, confused.

"Why yes, you see I worry about my brother a lot so I like to get to know the type of people he associates himself with." Mycroft replied, Collette bit her lip when she realised she might be in for a long discussion while she wore nothing but a towel.

Sometime earlier, John and Sherlock were on the pursuit of what proved to be a very clever animal. John felt humilated as people watched the two chase the dog down different streets, the worse part being Sherlock shouting at the animal as if it were a criminal. Without much notice, Sherlock came to a complete stop. John saw this as a chance to catch his breath.

"We'll never catch it this way, we need to trap it." John panted as he placed his hands behind his head.

"Yes, it's perfect." Sherlock said in a quiet tone.

"It is? I thought you said before that we wouldn't need to resort to those things for such a 'dumb animal'." John said, not following. Sherlock rolled his eyes and indicated to the shop window he was standing infront of. It looked like a woman's clothing boutique but the thing that had cought Sherlock's eye was the prop used for the window display. A club chair with plush fabric in the colour of dark violet. John tilted his head.

"Really? Not your style if you ask me." John said with a smile. Sherlock sighed.

"Don't you see? If we have this chair in our flat I will never find Collette in my chair again. Her favorite colour is purple, she can't resist it." Sherlock explained as he walked into the store. John rolled his eyes, knowing the chair was for display purposes only and that the store would not sell it, especially not to someone as rude as Sherlock.

John was caught off gaurd when he entered the store as Sherlock had taken on another one of his disguises to speak to the manager. Sherlock must have worked out that a clothing store wouldn't just sell their display items and now, for some reason, was crying to the elderly woman. John moved closer to listen in as he casually looked over a rack of women's shirts.

"And so you see, my mother, my dear sweet mother has fallen ill and-" Sherlock was saying in a heartbreaking tone, John didn't get to hear the rest.

"Can I help you?" Came the voice of the younger sales assistant. John looked over to her and smiled.

"Oh no, just browsing." John replied before quickly realising they were in a women's store. "For my girlfriend." He finished and forced a polite smile.

"Oh, I see. Your 'girlfriend'. Well don't you worry sir, I'm sure we can find something perfect, does she happen to be the same size as you?" The young woman said suggestively, John sighed.

"I'm not gay." He said for what felt like the millionth time.

"I never said you were. Lots of men, even straight men, like to dress up from time to time." The woman said with an amused smile, John sighed and walked out of the store. So now people thought he was a cross dresser. He really needed to meet a nice girl. Not long after Sherlock emerged from the store with a triumphant smile.

"You got it then?" John asked, wondering what lie he spun to get the chair.

"Oh yes, a courier is delivering it this afternoon. She gave it to me for free." Sherlock said, pleased with himself as he returned to the case of chasing down the dog. John shook his head but followed, needing the reward money. The case was wrapped up quickly after that and the boys returned to their flat. Sherlock was looking forward to seeing the look on Collette's face when she saw the chair. While his deductions were not usually correct about her, he knew that this one would be. With a content smile, he walked into the living room with John not far behind him. Both were surprised by what they saw. Mycroft looked over to Sherlock and smiled.

"Oh do close your mouth brother. Though I must admit, this probably is the first time you've ever had a naked woman in your sheets." He said, taking great delight in pointing out Sherlock's lack of experience. Collette looked over to Sherlock, while she wasn't surprised; she did wonder if it bothered him to be teased about it.

"Are you really naked?" John asked as he looked over to Collette who was currently sitting in Sherlock's chair and wrapped in his sheet.

"Mycroft caught me at a bad time, that's all." She replied vaguely and looked away.

"A bad time? Are you often naked in our flat when we're out?" John asked again.

"Not as often as you'd think." Collette answered with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" Sherlock asked, avoiding Mycroft's previous comment and also keeping his eyes off Collette. While John didn't seem to notice, Sherlock knew he looked at Collette too much and he did not want his brother picking that little fact up.

"Oh I just came to meet your new neighbour. She really is quite a peach." Mycroft said in an almost friendly manner. Sherlock stared intently, wondering what he could mean.

"What did you say to him?" Sherlock questioned further, this time looking at Collette. Her collarbone and chest were showing and he could just make out the shape of her breasts from under the sheet. He had been looking too long, Mycroft smiled to himself as he watched his brother carefully.

"Not much, he knew a lot about me already." Collette said honestly, she knew better than to give away a lot of information about Sherlock. John had already told her about the two brother's odd relationship.

"I best be off. Collette it was a pleasure, until next time." Mycroft said as he moved over and took Collette's hand, he placed a soft kiss on the back of her knuckles and gave her a charming smile. Mycroft then stood up straight and flashed a look over to Sherlock to both judge his reaction and let him know that Mycroft was onto him. Of course he would not question Sherlock about it yet, he wondered if Sherlock was even aware of it. He never did understand his brother's heart. Sherlock waited until the door downstairs had closed before looking to Collette seriously.

"Tell me everything." He demanded.

"Not much to tell, we made small talk about work and the weather and then we talked about you." She answered, still feeling exposed and hoping she could finally go and get dressed. Collette stood only to be pushed down roughly into Sherlock's chair.

"What about me?" Sherlock asked, leaning over Collette very closely.

"I'm not stupid, Sherlock. I know better than to give a sibling any detailed information. I let him know that you're eating, sleeping and working enough to stay sane. I'm the youngest of my siblings too, so if my sister Yvette calls, I expect you to do the same. Deal?" Collette said seriously, Sherlock stood back to allow her to get up.

"Thank you." Sherlock said simply and somehow sensed that they talked more than Collette would admit to.

"I'll be back when I'm not naked." Collette said with a smile and made her way down to her flat. She did not want to discuss what Mycroft had told her about. John had already hinted that Sherlock was an ex-addict but she had thought it was only smoking. Mycroft had given her a full account on Sherlock's cocaine addiction. While he was now past that part of his life, there was always a chance to relapse and that scared Collette. She decided that she would do anything it took to keep him from the temptation.

Sherlock sat in his chair as he checked his site, once again she had left it warm. John stood in the kitchen, making scrambled eggs for lunch as it was the only thing he could find in the fridge that wasn't a body part. Peace returned to the flat for all of five minutes until the buzzer rang. Neither of the boys bothered to answer the door as Collette had already gone up from her flat to get it. An odd shriek came from the door and then muffled voices. John looked out of the kitchen suspiciously but Sherlock could only sit and smirk. The delivery man kindly carried the already loved purple chair up to the flat and sat it down between John and Sherlock's chairs. Once the man had left Collette looked to Sherlock and had a similar smile on her face as the one Sherlock wore when told about a murder.

"Is this mine?" She asked, sounding like a kid at christmas.

"Will you sit in it?" Sherlock asked, amused.

"Yes, of course, I love it. Thank you!" She said all too quickly and gave Sherlock an awkward hug as he remained in his seat. Once again he was hit with the odd reccuring feeling.

John left the kitchen and came to sit down, it was an odd sight for him to see the two actually getting along as Sherlock tried to explain an article on his website to Collette. While John was no Consulting Detective, he did have a feeling that the chair was Sherlock's way of making room for Collette in his life and accepting that she wasn't going anywhere.

**Author's note: Hi all, hope you liked it. I decided to add the sheet bit in now as I really can't see a good way of having Irene Adler in my story. I don't think any of you can imagine awkward Collette trying to compete with the dominatrix. So instead I added some of the parts from that episode that I think are important: Sherlock in a sheet (yes!), Mycroft's little dig at Sherlock about women and Sherlock building some sort of connection with a woman. I won't say there will be any love/fluff scenes with the couple anytime soon, but I do I want to slowly have Sherlock discover feelings he never knew he could have. Hope you enjoyed it and please review as it motivates me to write.**


	7. The Christmas Special

Sherlock came upstairs with a smile on his face as he carried a small cooler box filled with fingers. It was the holiday season and that meant a lot of extra suicides, which also meant a lot of extra body parts. This year, Sherlock had received some bigger cases and two new additions to his life. While meeting people had never been a priority for Sherlock; he could admit that these two people had become somewhat special to him. Sherlock looked around the living room and sighed a little, he was not fond of the decorations Collette had put up. John sat in his armchair with the paper and Collette sat in her own chair, wrapped in a large blanket with her laptop on her knees. Sherlock went into the kitchen to store the fingers before returning to join the rarely quiet peace that had taken hold of the house. Sitting down in his own chair; Sherlock found himself missing the warmth that Collette had left behind everytime she had stolen his space.

"Get anything good?" Collette asked after a moment as she looked up from a shopping site she had been browsing.

"Fingers." Sherlock replied with content.

"Hmm, shame." She mused as her eyes returned to a selection of shoes. Sherlock raised an eyebrow at this.

"What were you hoping for?" Sherlock asked, watching her carefully.

"Well if you had brought back hands, I could have made a joke about keeping them to yourself." Collette answered with a smile, earning a chuckle from John. Sherlock's laugh joined John's once he understood the joke.

"I'll try for hands next time." He replied.

"Good. Now, while you've got a minute; what do you want for christmas?" Collette asked seriously.

"There is nothing I need." Sherlock answered vaguely. Presents were always an interesting thing to analyse for him; they often let him judge how the giver felt about the receiver and how well they truly knew them.

"Presents aren't about what you need but what you want. I'm sure there's at least one thing that you want." Collette replied, feeling a little bit clueless about what to buy the detective. John was easy, he had recently started watching a cop drama on tv but always complained that they kept repeating the same episodes so getting him the dvd set was a simple choice.

"Hang on, you said the other day that you'd finished all your christmas shopping." John said, looking over his newspaper.

"My christmas shopping for back home. I had to get it all done early to send it off. I'd be the unpopular aunty if the presents came late." Collette replied.

"Aunty?" Sherlock questioned, she had never mentioned being an aunty.

"Aunty of seven, yeah." Collette replied casually.

"Seven?! Bloody hell, that would cost a bit." John said, Collette laughed.

"My family are breeders. Yvette, oldest sister, has one boy. Stuart, oldest brother, two girls and a boy. Joanne, other sister, has two boys and a girl. Alan, my other brother doesn't have kids but is trying to convince his girlfriend. I have to admit, while I miss them, it'll be nice to have a quiet christmas. Could you imagine all of them in one house? The worst part was trying to shower. Jo is the worst for personal space, she doesn't seem to understand that I like showering on my own." Collette said all at once, John looked rather interested at the last part.

"You shower with your sister?" He questioned, thinking that type of thing only ever happened in dirty movies. Collette laughed.

"No. Well when we were kids we used to have a bath together. But I mean she had a habit of sticking one of her kids in the shower with me. Only when they were toddlers of course, they are too old for it now. I suppose Steven was the worst, that's Yvette's son. I remember when he was very little; we all went out to the supermarket and I was holding him, he latched onto my chest pretty tight and shouted 'boobies!' for everyone to hear." Collette said, laughing with John. It all confused Sherlock a great deal, he and Mycroft had never been close and Collette seemd to light up when telling stories of her family.

"Do you want to have children?" Sherlock found himself asking, thinking that perhaps being around all those children made Collette want her own. He also knew that Collette would be a good mother, she was always thinking of things that he and John would have forgotten and for some reason always wanted Sherlock to eat.

"You really shouldn't just ask those things, Sherlock." John said, giving him a look.

"It's alright, you guys should know by now I don't get offended by this stuff. I don't really know to be honest, I know I don't want them now but maybe one day if I'm with the right man. If I were to have kids though, I'd only want one or two at the most. I honestly don't know how my mum raised five kids." Collette said honestly. She already worried over John and Sherlock enough so she wondered if she could handle the worry that came with being a mother.

"That's true, mine had a hard enough time raising Harry and me." John said with a smile.

"What's your mum like Sherlock? She probably deserves a medal for raising you." Collette teased, Sherlock looked over blankly.

"My mother is dead so not much to tell really." He replied, not really thinking much of it.

"Oh Sherlock, I'm sorry." She said quickly and moved incredibly fast; soon her arms were around him, holding him close to her. Sherlock didn't dare to move; due to him sitting and her standing, his face was pressed directly to her chest.

"It was three years ago, I am perfectly at ease with it now." Sherlock spoke slowly, unsure how he should react to the strange position.

"No matter how long ago it was, you still need a hug." Collette said firmly.

"And why is that?" Sherlock questioned, memorising the feel of the embrace to the smallest detail; a cotton shirt, a cold button pressed to his ear, her natural scent, the soft movement of her chest as she breathed and the warmth she gave out. The odd feeling was back and stronger than last time. Sherlock knew by now that the feeling was somehow tied to attraction and likely caring but both those things were foreign to him.

"My mum is the most important person in the world to me, she's the only person who never cared that I was different from my siblings or even most normal people. You treat Mrs Hudson the way you would a mother, so I've got to assume you loved your mum dearly too. And that means you need a hug for her." Collette explained, Sherlock did not understand her reasoning behind it but decided not to argue this time.

Christmas eve came around too quickly for everyone unprepared. Luckily by that point everything was taken care of in the Baker street household. Mrs Hudson was setting out snacks while Sherlock played violin, Lestrade relaxed in John's chair and John sat on the couch with his current girlfriend. Collette ran up the stairs with a small bag of gifts, a basic but polite gift for Lestrade and Jeanette and a more friendly gift for Molly. Sherlock stopped playing as Collette entered the room. She wore a sleeveless red dress that flared out at the waist and only reached her knees. She wore matching red ballet flats with bows on them and tried to stay warm with a small, short sleeved green cardigan. Collette had even gone so far as to wear a red bow clip in her hair. Sherlock also noticed that she wore red lipstick, that was a first for her.

"Oh don't you look cute dear." Mrs Hudson gushed and gave Collette a small hug before taking a seat to relax.

"I love those times of the years when we can dress silly and get away with it." Collette admitted as Lestrade poured her a drink and said hello. Sherlock silently wondered if Collette would be the type to enjoy going under cover with him as John had always refused. Sherlock's thoughts were interrupted as a tray of snacks was offered to him, he looked to John's current girlfriend and decided to be polite.

"No thank you, Sarah." Sherlock said, noticing an angry look spread over the woman's face.

"He's not good with names." John quickly came to try to defend.

"No, no I can get this." Sherlock started as he went through the list in his head.

"Maybe you shouldn't..." John said as a warning, Sherlock refused to hear it.

"No, Sarah was the doctor. Then there was the one with the spots, then the one with the nose and who was after the boring teacher?" Sherlock asked as he looked to John.

"Nobody." The woman said in an angry tone.

"Jeanette! Process of elimination." Sherlock said with a grin, having worked out the name. John now had the task of handling an angry girlfriend.

Molly soon arrived and stole a lot of attention as she entered.

"Oh lord..." Sherlock muttered quietly to himself.

"Hello everyone, sorry I'm late. It said on the door to just come up." Molly said with a happy smile as she took off her large coat to reveal a very tight fitting black dress with a silver hem. She also wore a matching item in her hair, a silver bow. Sherlock noted that Molly's outfit clearly said "Look at me, I'm all grown up." while Collette's outfit said "Look at me, I'm never growing up!" the thought made him smile for a brief moment.

"Holy Mary!" John said at the sight of Molly dressed up.

"Wow!" Lestrade said, looking over the young woman.

"You look great!" Collette said with a smile and moved in close to take a quick photo together on her phone.

"Everyone having a Christmas drinkies then?" Molly asked excitedly.

"No stopping them, apparently" Sherlock said as he moved over to his desk, not as comfortable in the situation anymore.

"It's the one time of the year when the boys have to be nice to me so it's almost worth it." Mrs Hudson laughed as Collette took a seat on the arm of her chair, the chair of course belonging to Sherlock. Molly smiled and shifted around a little, Collette could tell that she wasn't completely comfortable in her outfit and probably dressed up just for Sherlock. Collette was conflicted with knowing Molly's feelings, she considered Molly a friend but she was also starting to develop a crush of her own on Sherlock. She knew that it was likely a lost cause for either of them to like Sherlock but decided to be a good friend and at least give Molly a chance first. Afterall, Molly had known Sherlock first and Collette didn't want to lose a friend by pursuing a man who would probably not return any feelings offered. Collette had even hung mistletoe for that evening.

"Take a seat." John said to Molly and patted a spot on the couch. Molly instead finding herself talking to Lestrade as he offered to get her a drink. Collette decided to make herself busy and started moving around the room, taking photos of herself and the others, Mrs Hudson first and then John. She even pulled Lestrade in for a photo before moving over to Sherlock who was checking John's blog.

"Nice hat." Collette whispered as she looked over his shoulder to see a photo of Sherlock on the blog.

"I hate it." He muttered bitterly.

"Whatever, smile for a photo?" Collette asked and leaned over Sherlock to take one.

"There, now kindly send John over to discuss this photo." Sherlock said.

"No way, you didn't even smile! Now smile or I'll you look like an idiot." Collette said playfully.

"I highly doubt you could do that." Sherlock replied but soon felt Collette leaning over more before placing a kiss on his cheek, his lips twitched into the smallest smile as she clicked her phone and got a picture.

"Aww, very cute. John come over here!" Collette said, shouting the last part as John came over.

"Yes?" He asked and looked confused as Collette pulled him close as well and handed him her phone.

"Now we all have to smile for a photo and unless you want to be here all night you guys better make it good." Collette threatened, Sherlock wasn't sure if he could hide his growing emotions well enough if she was to stay so he forced a large, happy smile for her.

"That actually looks pretty good." John said as he examined the photo of the trio.

"Yes, it's going on facebook." Collette said and grabbed her phone before leaving John to be confronted about the picture on his blog.

"You two looked close..." Molly commented quietly to Collette who had picked up her drink. Collette realised that Molly hadn't seen her interact with Sherlock much and that it may have come across as flirting.

"Oh yeah, well the boys are kind of like brothers to me by now." Collette said quickly and a little too loudly as the words reached Sherlock and caught his attention, being considered 'like a brother' bothered him deeply. Molly relaxed and looked over to Mrs Hudson.

"How's your hip?" Molly asked kindly to change the subject.

"Oh it's atrocious, but thanks for asking." Mrs Hudson laughed off, quite happy from the brandy.

"I've seen much worse, but then I do post-mortems." Molly said with a soft chuckle until everyone looked over and she realised what she had said.

"Oh god, sorry." Molly said quickly, Collette just nudged her gently to brush it off.

"Don't make jokes Molly." Sherlock said from the computer, feeling bitter and needing to vent his anger.

"Here." Lestrade said, handing Molly a glass of wine.

"Oh thank you, wasn't expecting to see you. I thought you were going to be in Dorset for Christmas." Molly said curiously.

"First thing in the morning, me and the wife. We're back together, it's all sorted." Lestrade explained with a smile.

"No, she's sleeping with the PE teacher." Sherlock commented. Molly chose to ignore it and instead turned to John.

"I heard you were off to your sister's. Sherlock was complaing... saying." She said with a smile before correcting herself.

"Yeah, first time ever she's cleaned up her act. She's off the booze." John said and raised his glass.

"Nope." Sherlock said once more.

"Shut up, Sherlock!" John scolded. Sherlock was only just getting started, he needed a target for his bad mood and so he choose the easy one.

"I see you've got a new boyfriend, Molly and you're serious about him." Sherlock began and forced a polite smile over to Molly.

"What? Sorry, what?" Molly laughed nervosly.

"And you're seeing him this very night and giving him a gift." Sherlock added. Everyone else could see where this was going.

"Take a day off." John said quietly, trying to make light of the sitaution.

"Sherlock, have a drink." Lestrade said as he sat a glass on the desk beside Sherlock. He too hoped to diffuse the situation before it could get ugly.

"How about some music?" Collette added in, not wanting to see Molly get hurt. Sherlock was oblivious to it all.

"Surely you've all seen the present at the top of the bag. Perfectly wrapped with a bow, all the others are slap-dash at best. It's for someone special then. The shade of red echoes her lipstick; either an unconscious association or one that she's deliberately trying to encourage. Either why, Miss Hooper has looove on her mind. The fact that she's serious is from the fact that she's giving him a gift at all, that would suggest long-term hopes over forlorn. And that she's seeing him tonight is evident from her makeup and what she's wearing; obviously trying to overcompensate for the size of her mouth and breasts..." Sherlock started in his usualy smug way as everyone looked at Molly with pity. Sherlock trailed off as he opened the card on the gift and saw that it was addressed to him. Collette could only watch as Molly's heart seemed to break infront of them.

"You always say such horrible things... everytime... always..." Molly forced out as she held back tears. Sherlock realised his mistake and looked over to Molly, emotions were not easy for him to understand.

"I am sorry. Forgive me. Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper." Sherlock said seriously and placed a quick kiss on Molly's cheek.

"Well this is interesting. Never did quite see you as a heartbreaker." The new voice caught everyone's attention and broke the awkward moment in the room. Mycroft stood at the door, umbrella in one hand and a small green box in the other.

"I don't recall inviting you here." Sherlock said as he spotted the box.

"I did." Collette spoke out.

"You did?" Sherlock asked with confusion.

"He's your brother." Collette replied as if that was meant to be a good reason for Sherlock.

"Yes, only staying for one drink though and to drop this off." Mycroft said and walked over to Collette, handing her the small box.

"Oh thank you, I didn't know we were exchanging gifts." She replied and shook the box gently.

"Just something small, to show how much I enjoy our little chats." Mycroft said in a friendly manner, confusing Sherlock more and more. Collette simply smiled in return and moved over to place it under the small christmas tree in the corner. Sherlock followed her as John asked Mycroft about a drink and introduced him to the others.

"What little chats?" Sherlock asked in a hushed tone, wanting to know but not to draw attention to it. Collette sat the gift down and turned to Sherlock with a smile.

"He calls from time to time, to check up on you. Just the basics, nothing more really. I do sometimes get him to tell me a few stories from your childhood though." Collette replied in an equally soft tone. She knew how much Mycroft got on Sherlock's nerves.

"Oh look, they're under the mistletoe!" Mrs Hudson called out, getting everyone's attention. Collette looked up and saw the small plant hanging above them.

"So we are." Sherlock said in a bored tone, not wanting to draw anymore attention. Collette smiled up to Sherlock but did not want to pressure him at all, knowing it would only make him uncomfortable.

"Go on Sherlock, give her a kiss." Mrs Hudson said with a giggle.

"Well this might just be too difficult for you, brother. Perhaps you should let someone else step in, someone who has actually kissed a woman before." Mycroft said infront of everyone. Collette hated how Mycroft talked about Sherlock's inexperience. She didn't know if he had ever kissed anyone but it should not have mattered. She briefly recalled her own sister teasing her in a similar way before. Collette looked up to Sherlock and knew he would not do anything after Mycroft's comment and so she decided to act for herself, if anyone asked she could blame the few drinks she'd had that night. Without a second thought she grabbed hold of Sherlock's shirt collar and pulled him down to her.

Sherlock didn't know what hit him as he felt Collette's lips crash onto his, it was as if his entire body came to life for the first time. It only seemed to last a second as his brain began to try and process everything that was happening. When he felt her let him go and their lips parted he wasn't even sure if he had kissed her back. She smiled up to him with red cheeks and the cheers of the group seemed to fade out as he stared into her eyes for just a moment.

"That's so sweet, I wish we could have got a picture!" Mrs Hudson said, snapping Sherlock from his stunned moment.

"Mrs Hudson, just how much brandy have you drank tonight?" Sherlock asked, the silence of the room was over and the party continued on. Collette moved over to Molly and gave her a look, silently asking if they were ok.

"I don't think I could have ever done that." Molly said, her own way of answering.

"I'm sure you could have if you've drank as much as me tonight." Collette said, trying to defend her actions.

"The way he looked at you though..." Molly said seriously.

"What way? He just looked at me normally..." Collette replied in confusion. True he had looked at her after she would admit was possibly the best kiss she had ever had, but it was probably just one of shock.

"No, he looked at you differently. And you know, he'll never look at me that way." Molly said quietly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed him..." Collette whispered, Molly looked at her in surprise.

"What? No, it was fine. More than fine actually. Because now after seeing that, I think I might be able to move on and try to find someone I could actually be with." Molly explained with a smile, Collette smiled softly.

"We'll find you someone really hot, I promise." Collette swore, giggling with Molly. The night wore on and soon everyone left; Mycroft after one drink as stated, Lestrade after being called home by his wife, Jeanette after breaking up with John and Molly last, after getting just a little bit tipsy with Collette.

**Author's note: Hope you liked the Christmas chapter! Thanks everyone for the support you've shown for this story. I was really touched by all the lovely reviews. I hope you liked the fluff! Now I'd like to know some opinions; should I write a second christmas chapter that contains gift exchanging, christmas dinner and New Year's Eve? The New Year's Eve part may contain more Sherlock/Collette fluff. Or would you all prefer I just skip past the festive stuff? Let me know!**


	8. The Christmas Special pt II

Collette woke to the smell of roast meat. Somehow Mrs Hudson's cooking had made it all the way down to the basement. She stretched and lazily made her way out of bed until she realised that today was indeed Christmas. A childish grin spread across Collette's face as she pulled on her thick purple dressing gown and big fluffy slippers. As she walked out of her room she could see how the smell of cooking had reached her.

"Morning Mrs Hudson..." Collette said, a little confused to see the older woman standing in her kitchen.

"Morning dear, hope I didn't wake you. The turket in in my oven and I also wanted to do some baked goods in yours if you don't mind." Mrs Hudson said, in full "mother" mode.

"Sure, go for it. Merry Christmas." Collette said, breaking Mrs Hudson's thoughts from cooking for a moment.

"Oh yes, Merry Christmas dear!" Mrs Hudson said, coming over for a hug.

"Coming up to open presents then?" Collette asked, the child in her coming alive.

"Oh no, you go ahead. John's already given me his present and Sherlock is still in bed." Mrs Hudson replied, not having the time for presents when she was so determined to cook a big Christmas lunch. It was the first time in years that she hadn't been alone for the holiday and wanted it to be done properly. Collette left the older woman to her cooking and headed upstairs.

"Merry Christmas John!" Collette all but shouted as she entered the living room. John laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Merry Christmas." John replied over his toast and tea, only to be hugged from the younger woman.

"Go wake Sherlock so we can do presents." Collette said firmly with an excited grin. John could only chuckle.

"I'm not making that mistake, you want him awake then you wake him." John replied and took a sip of his tea, giving a look that told Collette he was not moving.

"Ok, ok. Don't open any presents without us." Collette said as she headed to Sherlock's room. She pushed the door open and looked in to see the lump that was Sherlock Holmes beneath his blankets. Collette tiptoed over to the side of his bed and saw his face half burried in the pillow. She looked over his features for a moment; he really did look good when he was asleep. Collette smiled to herself as she recalled her first thoughts on Sherlock Holmes; she had believed him to be better looking than John but didn't like any of his facial features. Now she looked at Sherlock and knew that his face still annoyed her greatly, but that was also one of the reasons as to why she liked him so much. She could pick out all the things she didn't like about him, but love all of those qualities all the same. Collette realised she was staring and so tried to think of a fun way to wake the sleeping beauty. She carefully laid down beside him, over the blankets and moved so her face was incredibly close to his. Without a second thought, she poked his cheek and watched as his eyes burst open. It took him a moment to register that he was awake and that Collette was dangerously close.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, quickly becoming alert.

"I've been watching you sleep for the past hour while I planned out the best way to murder you." Collette said with a grin. She was in a very good mood, which typically lead to her stranger sense of humor coming out. Sherlock smiled, understanding her darker joke.

"I see, now shall you be revealing your plan to me or should I just wait for it?" Sherlock asked in an amused tone.

"I like revealing my murder plans, it's always more fun when the victim knows it's coming and I can watch them squirm. Mwaha." Collette said as she continued to play.

"Of course, do tell." Sherlock replied.

"I've decided that I'm going to skin you. Silence of the Lambs' style." Collette said playfully. Sherlock looked confused.

"What is Silence of the Lambs?" He asked, effectively ending their game.

"You've never seen that movie? Ok, when I get the chance to hire it we will watch it and all the other Hannibal movies, you'll like them." Collette said, slapping him on the chest and sitting up.

"Very well and Merry Christmas." Sherlock said as he looked up to her.

"Merry Christmas, Sherlock." Collette whispered, leaning back down and kissing his cheek before she could stop herself. Sherlock looked up to her with confusion as he remembered the night before.

"About last night..." Sherlock started. Most people would know to leave well enough alone, Sherlock did not.

"What about it?" Collette asked, unsure if she was ready for this conversation.

"I noticed you only kissed me after hearing Mycroft. Was it to make him jealous?" Sherlock questioned, that night he had gone over all possible reasons for her to kiss him and was left with the conclusion that she was attracted to Mycroft. She had invited him there, he had given a gift which was not at all normal and she had even dared to hug him as he was leaving. All signed pointed to Collette and Mycroft having some kind of attraction. Sherlock saw that he was wrong once Collette started laughing.

"Make him jealous?! Sherlock, don't tell me that you never realised that Mycroft is gay." Collette said once her little giggle had calmed down.

"Yes, that was clear. But he has never confirmed it and so I could assume he might be bisexual. Despite disliking most of the company I keep, he showed up at your invitation which shows he must want to catch your attention. He brought you a gift, you haven't opened it yet but by the size and the quality of the box, it will be a piece of jewellery: not something a man buys a normal acquaintance. Only after him suggesting someone else step in did you kiss me, you wanted to get his attention. You hugged him goodbye and he actually returned it, yes all signs show that there is something going on between you two." Sherlock said, hoping that once again Collette would prove him wrong. Collette was quiet for a moment, that worried him, his stomach twisted painfully and so he sat up more to try to push away the feeling.

"Sherlock, when it comes to me; you really can't deduce anything right, can you?" Collette asked after a moment, effectively driving away the pain he felt.

"That's all wrong?" Sherlock asked, needing answers.

"Where should I start? Mycroft showed up to annoy you, not to get my attention. He gave me a gift, probably because he doesn't go to many casual social gatherings and thought that was the appropriate thing to do or also to annoy you. If it is jewellery, would that really be surprising? It's an easy gift to get for a woman and your brother makes good money. I hugged him goodbye because I hugged everyone goodbye, it's Christmas and I was tipsy. I don't know why he returned it, probably also to annoy you. And I kissed you after hearing him say that because my sister used to do the same thing to me and I hated it." Collette listed off.

"That does sound like my brother. Why would your sister do the same to you? You're not like me." Sherlock asked, very aware that he was not usual and that it stood out a lot.

"I am a lot like you when it comes to relationships. You know what I did the first time a guy asked me out? I slapped him in the face. I have no idea why. I can't connect to people as easily as others, a lot of the time relationships confuse me. I really had no interest in dating and then one day it became clear to me that I wasn't normal. My few friends had all slept with multiple guys and I didn't even know how to have a conversation with one. I never actively sought male attention and I really didn't care about sex. Even now I don't know how to flirt or even when a guy is flirting with me. My sister, Yvette, used to make jokes infront of everyone about how I'd be a virgin until I was 30, that I'd end up a spinster with a dozen cats, anything she could think of really. It wasn't until I got a boyfriend that it stopped, but even after that, I still consider myself weird with men. It's why I thought of the wedding ring trick, it's just easier for me to not deal with dating." Collette said all at once, realising she had ranted and looked down. Sherlock did what he thought was normal and placed a hand over hers.

"I suppose that explains why I can't read you as well as others, you're a freak like me." Sherlock said softly, making Collette smile and take his hand.

"I guess so, I'm just better at hiding it." She replied with a smile.

"Then perhaps you could teach me that art sometime." Sherlock replied and looked up into Collette's eyes for a moment.

"Ok, I don't know what's taking you guys so long but-" John stopped what he was saying as he entered the room to see Sherlock in bed, presumably naked as he had no shirt on. Holding hands with Collette, who was also on the bed.

"Did I interrupt something?" He asked cautiously.

"Oh right, presents! Get up Sherlock." Collette said quickly as she realised what she had originally come in for. Her and John left the room once it was made clear that Sherlock was indeed naked. He soon emerged in his pajamas and blue dressing gown.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Sherlock asked as he took his seat.

"That is not the attitude you need for Christmas, Sherlock. You need to be, you know, merry." Collette said as she handed John his present.

"Ta." He said with a smile and gave her a kiss on the cheek as he handed her the present from him. Sherlock watched carefully as they unwrapped their gifts. For John; a cop drama dvd set which he seemed very pleased with. For Collette; a watch with a purple band which she put on straight away, stangely onto her right wrist.

"I know I'm weird, but I'm left handed and it's more comfortable for me. You two swap gifts now." Collette said as she carefully folded the wrapping paper into a neat pile. Sherlock sighed but handed John his gift and thanked him as John did the same. The trio had to laugh as both boys opened their presents to reveal gag gifts. For John, a dvd set of House with a note attached asking him to use it as a self improvement guide. For Sherlock, a Hercule Poirot book set to teach him a few new detective skills. Finally Sherlock turned to Collette and handed her two gifts, a small box and an envelope. Collette gave him a small box wrapped in purple paper.

"Which should I open first?" Collette asked as she examined both items.

"The envelope." Sherlock said as he tore at the paper. Collette opened the envelope first and smiled as she found what was inside, two tickets for a London tour she had been wanting to take. She wondered if the second ticket meant that Sherlock would join her. She soon turned her attention to the box and opened it to find a pair of sapphire earrings.

"I know you love purple but I thought perhaps you'd enjoy your birthstone as well." Sherlock said, hoping he had assumed correctly.

"They're lovely." Collette replied, already removing the purple studs from her ears to put on her new earrings. Sherlock smiled softly before he finished opening his gift, she really did use too much tape. Inside was a green iPod nano, Sherlock looked a little confused.

"It's loaded with all your favorite classical music as well as some of my music that I thought you would like. It's for when you can't sleep. I listen to mine all the time to help put me to sleep." Collette explained with a smile. Sherlock looked over to her.

"Thank you." Sherlock said with a sincere smile. The rest of the presents were soon opened. Sherlock had been correct that Mycroft had given Collette jewellery, a set of pearl earrings and matching necklace. Collette had received other presents from her family while John received a few gifts from Harry. Mrs Hudson had given them all gift vouchers before announcing lunch to be ready.

"Mrs Hudson, I can say without a doubt that I love you." Collette said as she looked over the large meal set out in Mrs Hudson's kitchen. Roast turkey, beef and vegetables, homemade bread rolls and gravy. The surrogate family ate until they were all full, even Sherlock. Christmas crackers were used, party hats were forced onto the boys heads and many photos were taken by Collette. The group ended up in the boy's flat as Mrs Hudson handed out cookies and Christmas pudding while Sherlock played the violin.

"I don't think I've eaten that well in years." John said as he undid the top button on his pants, looking quite pleased with himself.

"It reminds me so much of home, although it's summer there so everyone would be sweltering. Well, they were sweltering. Christmas is over by now over there." Collette replied.

"So this is your first cold Christmas then?" John asked.

"Yes, you would have been able to tell if you saw me yesterday morning..." Collette answered.

"She ran out in her pajamas to play in the snow." Mrs Hudson laughed. Sherlock finished his song and came over, Mrs Hudson was currently sitting in his seat so Collette stood and offered him her chair while she took her spot on the arm of it. Sherlock sat and was surprised that it was no longer uncomfortable to have Collette so close to him.

"That was amazing. You're really good." Collette said in awe. She had never had any talent for music and so was always very impressed with anyone who did.

"It was really lovely, Sherlock." Mrs Hudson added in.

"Thank you." Was all Sherlock could say, wondering how his life could change so drastically in a year. The Christmas prior he had been very much alone in his old flat and now he had a small group of people that cared for him and he cared for in return.

That night Sherlock laid awake as he listened to the strange mix of classical music and all of what he assumed were Collette's favorites on his new iPod. At first he did not understand why Collette had given him this gift but now he knew. For someone with an overactive mind, music was a great tool for distraction. It allowed him to stop thinking enough to drift off. His last thoughts for that night were wondering if Collette was listening to the same song.

**Author's note: Hope you enjoyed some more Christmas time. As suggested by AdorkableAud, I will be doing a New Years Eve chapter later on in the story. I wrote this out and realised that the chapter would be much larger than normal if I have both Christmas and NYE together. Later on in the story I would like to do a chapter that involves Moriarty and perhaps have Collette kidnapped or targeted by him, I haven't thought of anything good yet so if anyone had any ideas, please let me know. As always, thanks for the support and please continue to review.**


	9. The Hounds of Baskerville

**Author's note: Thanks for all the support once again, I am very happy to have such dedicated and wonderful readers. So I've decided to work The Hounds of Baskerville into my story. Now I really hate quoting the show too much in my story so it will be changed around a little to include Collette but quite a lot will be skipped over, afterall if you wanted all the details of The Hounds of Baskerville; you would watch the episode. As always, enjoy reading and please review.**

Collette sat in her chair and ate her cereal lazily, the night before consisted of a late shift at the pub and she was just waking up. John sat across from her as he tapped away on his laptop, writing up another post for his blog. Sherlock had gone out, she had briefly heard John say something about hunting but she had been half asleep and believed she heard wrong. Footsteps sounded up the stairs and a blood covered Sherlock walked in, holding a harpoon.

"Well that was tedious." Sherlock said bitterly. John and Collette both looked over.

"Wow." Was all Collette could say at the shocking appearance of the usually pristine Sherlock.

"You went on the tube like that?" John asked in disbelief.

"None of the cabs would take me." Sherlock said with a frown.

"I don't blame them. You do look kind of manly though." Collette commented as she returned to her cereal. Sherlock smirked at her comment before going off to shower.

An hour later saw Sherlock pacing the living room, cleanly dressed and in his favorite blue dressing gown as he played with his harpoon. Collette came up the stairs, dressed for work as she had picked up a lunch shift, she walked in and assumed she had missed something.

"Oh god!" Sherlock shouted out loudly. "John, I need some. Get me some." He said seriously. At this Collette froze in the doorway, thinking perhaps his old addiction was resurfacing.

"No." John said bluntly.

"Get me some." Sherlock repeated.

"No, cold turkey, we agreed. No matter what. Anyway you paid everyone off, remember? Nobody in a two mile radius will sell you any." John said, Collette relaxed as she realised they were talking about cigarettes.

"What a stupid idea, who's idea was that?" Sherlock asked before he realised it was his own.

"Why don't I make you a cup of tea?" Collette asked, stepping into the room. She still had some time before she had to go.

"Ah Collette, sweet Collette. Where are they?" Sherlock said as he came over and grasped her shoulders, he was going for the pathetic puppy look.

"You really want to know?" Collette asked in a hushed tone and signalled him to lean in closer. Sherlock smiled, thinking he had gotten his way as he leaned in close. He noticed Collette's perfume, the one she wore to work that he couldn't reconise. She also wore dark pink lipgloss, the shade she wore on a regular basis. She always made a slight effort for work but lately she had been wearing mascara and eyeliner too. She had also been taking on extra shifts. It made him wonder.

"In a place where you will never find them." Collette whispered playfully and kissed Sherlock's cheek. Sherlock growled out, her playful behaviour was normally something he enjoyed but right now he needed a smoke and everything else was just getting in his way.

"You are no help, too distracted about the new man at work from what I can tell, though if that's the case he hasn't noticed you yet and probably won't. Your eyelashes are too short to make a real impresson on an average man, the mascara helps but doesn't enhance them as much as you need. Your breasts are too small as well, with the other girls you work with you really have no chance." Sherlock said all too quickly. Collette frowned, walked out of the living room and headed down for the door.

"He's looking for the stash, tread carefully. Oh and I'm going to the shop after work, need anything?" Collette asked Mrs Hudson as they passed at the bottom of the stairs, doing all she could to appear positive.

"Milk would be lovely dear, you know which one." Mrs Hudson replied as she walked up into what Collette assumed would be a warzone soon.

"Milk it is, you look really nice today too!" Collette called out as she walked out the door. Collette felt her eyes water as she started the walk to work, it wasn't far from the flat so she only took a cab at night. While Sherlock had been wrong about her, his words still hurt. In fact she had been paying more attention to her makeup because the girls she worked with all wore a lot of makeup. She considered herself one of the more natural looking girls at the pub but didn't want to stand out too much from them. Collette knew that he was just frustrated from not smoking but she still found herself hanging onto his words.

The entire shift went badly for Collette. A very rude older man spilt his drink all over her, leaving her smelling of alcohol for the entire shift and also blaming it on her. Another girl did not show up for her shift which left Collette struggling to handle the extra work. Her manager cancelled her friday shift, one of her better shifts for the week. And to top it all off, once Collette had finally finished work, she went straight home and realised she forgot to stop at the store and therefore forgot Mrs Hudson's milk.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Collette shouted at the botton of the stairs as she threw her bag down. John poked his head out of the living room.

"Collette? What's wrong? Come on up and have some tea." John said kindly, Collette looked up to him and sighed before trudging up the stairs.

"I need chocolate." Collette replied as she sunk into her chair and groaned.

"What's wrong with her?" Sherlock said in a lighter tone as he walked around, collecting supplies.

"Sherlock, don't you have something to say to Collette?" John asked, giving Sherlock a look to remind him that he still had to apologise.

"Oh right, of course. We're going to Dartmoor for a few days, want to come?" Sherlock said, oblivious to his need to apologise. Collette refused to look at Sherlock, her way of showing anger, but considered the offer.

"A few days off could be fun..." Collette said, not directing the answer to anyone in particular.

"Good, go pack. We leave in twenty minutes." Sherlock ordered before going into the bathroom. Collette forced herself up, she felt exhausted but knew she could relax on the trip. John followed her down to her flat to explain the case and a little bit about Dartmoor. Collette soon packed everything she could think of into a large green floral overnight bag and headed back up to the main doors. She pulled on her thick coat, tied her purple scarf and grabbed her handbag that was still neglected on the floor. John took her bag out to load into the cab as she stuffed snacks and a clean shirt into her handbag and walked out to join the two men. As always, Collette was stuck in the middle of the two men as the cab took them to Paddington station, she purposely leaned against John.

"Have you been drinking?" John asked as he looked to Collette.

"No, some arse spilt his drink on me. I didn't have time to change at home. Probably should now." Collette replied as she took her coat off and sat it in John's lap before pulling the clean shirt from her bag.

"It's probably why she's in a mood." Sherlock replied, having picked up on her anger but not knowing it was partially directed at him. Collette chose to ignore him still and unbuttoned her blue work shirt before shoving it into her handbag. John was relieved to see a singlet top beneath as she pulled on her clean shirt.

"Can you still smell it?" Collette asked as she turned to John.

"A little bit. It's not a long trip anyway so you can shower when we arrive." John said with a smile. Collette sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder, preparing herself for what would still be a long trip for her. A train ride later saw the trio sitting in a large black land rover as Sherlock drove them into Dartmoor.

"Are you sure it's ok for him to drive?" Collette asked, feeling slightly better after making short work of her chocolate stash. John chuckled from the front seat.

"He's alright." John replied and turned the radio on for Collette to listen to. The boys stopped before their final destination to check out the surrounding area as Collette waited behind. While they wanted to solve a case, Collette decided she would enjoy the fresh country air and do a little shopping. Once they arrived, Collette saw that shopping might not be an option as the town was very small but she could still relax. She followed John into the small establishment dedicated to vegetarian food and boutique rooms while Sherlock waited outside to check out the locals.

"I'd like a room for three adults, please." John said to the larger man behind the counter.

"I can only do two rooms, a double and single." The man replied in a thick accent. Collette couldn't help but smile, one thing she loved about England was the mix of accents.

"That's fine." John said, it was the only accommodation in the area so he could not complain.

"At least you'll get to share a room with the missus." The man replied as he handed John a key. That was one thing John liked about Collette being around, he and Sherlock were never confused as a couple. Collette took a walk to look around as she saw Sherlock enter. She ignored the idle chatting between John and the man behind the bar, John was busy with his job and she did not want to bother him. Soon he had hit a good tip, one of the tour guides outside with information on the house, so Sherlock went to investigate. This was Collette's cue to join John as he ordered them both a drink.

"Bets off John, sorry." Sherlock said as they went out to join him. John looked confused at this but played along. Collette sat beside him and drank her beer, it was exactly what she needed. Collette listened carefully as John and Sherlock played their game. She refused to admit that Sherlock had some skill in fooling most people. It wasn't until the guide pulled out a casting of a giant paw print. Collette did not believe in the paranormal or anything of the like but the proof before her was unnerving.

"We're going to the Baskerville army base." John explained as he sat his bag down beside Collette's. It had been decided that she would share with him, much to Sherlock's confusion.

"Have fun with that, I'm taking a shower or maybe even a long bubble bath." Collette replied with a smile.

"I'll text you when we get back so we can all have dinner together." John said, knowing it wouldn't be long as he did not believe they would get anywhere near the base.

"Sounds good, let me know if you'll be late." Collette said as she dug through her bag for something to wear, it was a mess as she had packed in a rush.

"Still angry at Sherlock then? He doesn't even realise it, you know." John said, unaware that the detective himself was waiting outside the partially opened door.

"He was wrong about me going for some guy at work, I'm not. It normally doesn't bother me but today it kind of hurt to have him insult me like that and not even realise it. It's just hard sometimes, I know he doesn't mean it but his words can do damage and he never thinks that he should apologise for it." Collette vented a little.

"Look, don't worry about it. You've got perfectly nice eyelashes and your breasts are-" John started before getting a look from Collette that warned him to stop talking. "Right, sorry. Just try to relax, we'll be back." John finished and headed out to spot Sherlock standing by the door. Both men were silent until out in the land rover.

"She's angry with me." Sherlock stated as he drove.

"For someone with your deduction skills, it sure does take you a while to work these things out." John commented.

"What do I do?" Sherlock asked, he wasn't used to dealing with hurt women.

"Apologise. You did when you hurt Molly." John answered. Sherlock sighed loudly.

"No. I'm not sorry for saying the truth, she's obviously wearing more makeup than usual. She'll know if I'm insincere." Sherlock replied, not wanting to make matters worse.

"Don't think of it as being sorry for the truth, think of it as being sorry for hurting her with it." John said, giving Sherlock a lot to think about.

Collette laid out on the bed lazily, after a long bath and a nap she was feeling refreshed and in a much better mood. A soft beep caught her attention, she reached for her phone and checked the message.

_"Be back soon. There's been some trouble. Sherlock is very shaken. - John." _

Collette read the message over and pulled on her shoes and jumper to meet the boys. It must have been something big to leave Sherlock shaken, her anger was pushed aside as worry for the detective became her prime emotion.

"Sherlock, are you ok?" Collette asked with concern as the boys finally entered the pub, she didn't even wait for an answer as she wrapped her arms around the man's thin waist and held tight to him. While he was much taller than her, she still hoped to bring him some kind of comfort. Sherlock didn't answer but made no attempt to remove Collette from him, he even went so far as to place a hand on her back.

"It's been a really long night." John said as he lead them over to the fire. Collette sat with Sherlock on a two seater lounge while John sat close across from them in a large armchair. John explained the basics of what had happened, leaving out that Sherlock had seen the hound as he too was in the dark about it all. Sherlock had wanted to leave as soon as John found them. Henry Knight, their client, had been so shaken and convinced he had seen the hound. Collette kept her hand on Sherlock's leg to let him know she was there. She silently wondered what exactly could have happened to make him like this, Sherlock was a man who cut up body parts in his kitchen in pursuit of knowledge. He was not easily shaken.

"Mutant super dog, roaming the moors. But there isn't one, is there? Does someone know how to make a mutant super dog? No. They'd be for sale, I mean that's how it works." John finished off, trying to calm the detective. Sherlock remained silent as he looked into the fireplace and tried to reason with his own senses.

"Listen, on the moor I saw someone signalling. It's morse, at least it looks like morse. Doesn't seem to make much sense. U.M.Q.R.A. Does that mean anything to you?" John continued but saw Sherlock remain silent. In John's own attempt to calm him, he started listing off what they had so far. Sherlock shifted around a lot, it was very unlike him.

"So what do you think you'll do?" Collette asked after a while, the silence making her uneasy.

"Maybe we should just look for someone who's got a big dog." John said, out of ideas.

"Henry's right." Sherlock finally spoke in a low tone.

"What?" John asked simply, not catching his meaning.

"I saw it... too." Sherlock replied as he stared at the fire.

"What?!" John asked, this time in disbelief.

"I saw it too, John." Sherlock said firmly.

"Just... just a minute, you saw what?" John asked seriously.

"A hound, out there in the hollow." Sherlock said as he looked over to John, emotion showing on his face. Collette could only watch, it pained her to see Sherlock like this. John chuckled.

"Um... look Sherlock, we have to be rational about this. Now you, of all people, can't just... let's just stick to what we know, yes? Let's just stick to the facts." John said, completely thrown off by Sherlock's confession.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Sherlock whispered darkly.

"What does that mean?" John asked. Sherlock picked up his glass, his hand shaking. He laughed at this.

"Look at me, I'm afraid John. Afraid." He said, taking a drink.

"Sherlock..." John started softly, seeing there was something wrong.

"I've always been able to keep myself distant. Divorce myself from _feelings_. But look, you see? Body's betraying me. Interesting, yes? _Emotions_. The grit on the lens, the fly in the ointment." Sherlock said bitterly, sitting his glass back down. It made him sick to see himself reacting like this.

"Alright, stop, just... take it easy." John said in a hushed tone, not wanting to make a scene. Collette gently touched Sherlock's arm but had it quickly pulled away from her. Sherlock was ashamed to appear so weak minded infront of her.

"Try to relax." Collette whispered softly, Sherlock hadn't dared to look at her yet.

"You've been pretty wired lately. You know you have. I think, you've just gone out there and got yourself a bit worked up." John tried to reason.

"Worked up?" Sherlock asked as if it were an insult.

"It was dark and scary-"

"Me? There's nothing wrong with me." Sherlock laughed before going into what Collette would describle as a panic attack.

"Sherlock... Sherlock." John said quietly.

"There is nothing wrong with me, do you understand?!" Sherlock shouted angrily. Causing everyone in the meal area to stop and look at him before continuing on with their dinner. Sherlock lowered his tone but continued on, making a large deduction about an elderly widow and her son the ex-fishermen.

"I use my senses, John. Unlike some people. So you see, I am fine. In fact, I've never been better. So if you could just leave me alone." Sherlock ended his long rant and looked at John with unstable anger. John and Collette could only stare at this point.

"Yeah, ok. Ok. I mean, why would you listen to me? I'm just your friend." John said, partially insulted and partially fed up with Sherlock's behaviour.

"I don't have friends." Sherlock all but spat out.

"Nah, wonder why." John said before getting up and leaving. Collette didn't know what to do but felt she could not help Sherlock.

"I should go after him." Collette said quietly, afraid to set Sherlock off. She stood to leave but felt a soft yet firm grip on her wrist. She looked down to Sherlock, for the first time since returning his eyes connected with hers. True fear and emotion shone in his eyes.

"Forgive me. Stay." Was all Sherlock could say. He was ashamed of himself but still very much afraid and right now he knew that he needed her.

"Ok, just relax ok? I'm not going to tell you how to think. Whatever happened tonight obviously effected you but you're safe here and you know that." Collette said and carefully took Sherlock's hand, he found himself squeezing her small fingers in his larger ones. Soon Sherlock felt himself settle as she held his hand and rubbed his leg slowly to sooth him.

"I don't deserve this." Sherlock said quietly after at least ten minutes of silence.

"It's hard getting a fright, but it will be ok." Collette replied, careful to not say anything to set him off again. Sherlock looked to her and shook his head.

"No, I don't deserve your kindness. Today I upset you and did not apologise, now I've shouted at John that I have no friends and yet here you are." Sherlock explained.

"You were emotional when you upset me and when you went off at John." Collette said, trying to rationalise.

"Yes but that is an excuse. You shouldn't have to make excuses for me. I am sorry for hurting you." Sherlock said sincerely.

"Apology accepted, now come on. We'll get a late dinner and take it back to the room to eat and watch something stupid on tv." Collette said, standing up and tugging on Sherlock's hand. Sherlock followed and allowed her to place an order for them both as he stood behind her. She brought him comfort and that was something he needed tonight. While waiting for their food he spotted Henry Knight's therapist coming in to take a drink. He did not want to question her, for both his currently unstable emotions and the plans he had already made with Collette. He saw this as a good way to cheer John up, the woman was pretty by John's standards and so he began to text.

"Ready to go?" Collette questioned as she thanked the man behind the counter and grabbed their plastic takeaway containers. Sherlock smiled and took the containers in one hand to carry while taking Collette's hand in the other.


	10. The Hounds of Baskerville pt II

**Author's note: Once again, thanks for all the amazing support! I'd like to say that the show is quoted in this chapter a bit, but it may not all be 100% word for word as I'll be skipping over some. I don't like copying the entire episode scene for scene but I'm sure you've all watched the episode, which is likely part of the reason why you're reading this story, so you all know it by now. As always, enjoy reading and please review.**

Sherlock sat at the end of the double bed while Collette laid out carelessly on her stomach beside him and flipped through channels on the tiny television. His nerves were calmer now that he had eaten but if he tried to focus on the case he was reminded of the large dog he had seen that night and became unsettled again.

"Maybe you should take a hot shower." Collette suggested as she saw Sherlock shift uncomfortably again. She had notice him shifting around a little whenever he had nothing to do.

"Does my smell offend?" Sherlock asked bluntly, not understanding her reason for mentioning a shower. Collette leaned in and gave a playful sniff in hopes of lightening the mood.

"Hmm, no. But a hot shower always helps me feel better. I'll even set my iPod and speakers up for you to listen to some music. You'll be much more relaxed once you get into your jammies." Collette said with a smile.

"If you think it would help." Sherlock conceded and went across the hall to his single room to get some clothing, Collette watched him go and went in to set up her iPod in her bathroom.

"I picked out some songs you'll like." Collette said with a smile upon his return. Sherlock gave a nod in thanks and stepped into the cold, tiled bathroom. Collette's toiletries were all set out as she had bathed earlier. Sherlock took the time to inspect each bottle and tube as he wondered why women needed so many products. Once undressed, Sherlock pressed play on the small, well-loved gadget and stepped under the hot flowing water. It wasn't until the song began that he realised Collette had tricked him, a small chuckle escaped his throat as 'My Humps' by the Black Eyed Peas came on. Several other songs of a similar selection passed while Sherlock washed, dried and dressed.

"Feel better?" Collette asked from the bed, dressed in her own pajamas as Sherlock emerged from the bathroom in a plain grey tshirt and pj pants. This was the first time Collette had seen him after a shower, his usual curls still wet and looking somewhat tame.

"Was that really necessary?" Sherlock asked as he moved to sit back down.

"Well, it's hard to think about demon dogs when you're busy shaking your hump." Collette teased. Sherlock got more comfortable on what he assumed was to be John's side of the bed as Collette moved up to lay beside him. He would not admit aloud that her idea had worked, her songs were too distracting to think about anything serious. The two propped themselves up on the pillows and settled in for a late night movie. Collette yawned softly once the movie came to an end and looked over to Sherlock to ask his opinion on it only to see him sound asleep. She didn't dare to wake him, seeing him so shaken that night scared her and now he was sleeping calmly. Instead Collette carefully turned the tv off and covered them both before settling in to sleep herself. It would be harder for her to fall asleep, being beside Sherlock made her nervous, she didn't dare to move.

John returned to the room after a hazardous meeting with Henry's therapist. He had decided to stay in the pub for a few more drinks before going to bed. John stood in the doorway and looked over the scene. Why was it that he was always the one to spot those two looking like a couple? Not only were they sharing a bed, Sherlock had his arm around Collette. John silently stumbled around the room to find the key to Sherlock's single room. Before leaving, John took one last look at his two friends and wondered if either of them knew that they were practically dating.

Sherlock woke with a shock in the night, he had dreamt of the hound. What was more shocking for him was to feel his arm around a warm body. Collette. She was asleep and showed no signs of waking. He wondered why she hadn't tried to remove his arm from her but assumed he must have done it while they were both sleeping. Sherlock looked to the bedside table at the alarmingly bright clock, 4.13am. It was far too early to get up and at this point he wasn't sure if he wanted to. While he could not explain it, Collette felt good against him. It bothered him really, he knew he had developed something for her but didn't understand it and couldn't get rid of it. Sherlock laid on his back with a sigh and pushed his hair back. He had tried to ignore the feelings, tried to rationalise the feelings away and finally tried to flat out fight them. Love, like, caring. All those things that essentially meant one thing: trouble.

Sherlock had seen countless people lose their heads to chase another person. Intelligent men, at least by normal standards, that spend everything they have and act like dogs to gain the attention of some pretty woman. The same type of woman that knows what they can get for their looks and have men willing to do anything for them. He knew that women were victims to the same thing, women with common sense that end up letting some foolish man in their beds. It was essentially always the same; someone using someone else because they could.

Sherlock looked over to Collette and realised he had already done similar things. He had bought her a television without a second thought and the chair, somehow both of those items seemed completely worth seeing the smile on her face. He was already becoming one of those idiots. Sherlock's negative thoughts stopped as he felt Collette shift, he remained perfectly still as he felt her snuggle up and cuddle into his side. Sherlock waited a moment, ensuring that she was still asleep before looking down to her. It occured to him that Collette had never asked for those things. In fact she had never asked him to buy or do anything serious for her. Collette was not the type of woman to misuse his feelings for her. In that moment he considered himself at least slightly lucky, while he had developed feelings he never wanted; at least it was for someone worthy of those feelings. With his mind at ease once more, Sherlock allowed himself to sleep just a little longer.

"Morning." John called Collette over as she came into the pub for breakfast. She smiled and came over to join him.

"Morning, sorry about the sleeping arrangements." Collette said, as she looked over the vegetarian menu and wished for bacon.

"It's fine. Took the single room. You two looked quite cosy last night..." John said and gave Collette a look, hoping for her to admit to whatever it was going on between her and Sherlock.

"I think he just needed someone nearby. He was pretty shaken." Collette said vaguely as she placed her order. The two ate in silence before splitting up to look for Sherlock. Collette had no luck finding Sherlock but did find someone unexpected.

"Lestrade? Um, Mr Lestade?" Collette said as she returned to the pub and spotted a tan looking Lestrade, he smiled over.

"Ah Collette, just call me Greg." He replied before shaking her hand.

"What are you doing here? Checking up on Sherlock?" Collette asked, not missing a beat.

"Something like that, just don't tell him and I'll buy you a pint." He replied with a smile. Collette knew Sherlock would work it out on his own so agreed. While normally she never drank so early but she was on holiday, sort of, and so the odd couple sat down at the bar. Collette sat her empty glass down as Lestrade laughed.

"You're not meant to drink it that fast." He said with a smile.

"I never did learn how to handle my alcohol." Collette replied happily, enjoying the small buzz.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Came the loud shout of Sherlock Holmes. Both Collette and Greg turned to see an angry Sherlock come in, closely followed by John.

"Oh, nice to see you too. I'm on holiday, would you believe and buying this lovely young lady a drink." Greg said casually, used to Sherlock's temper.

"No I wouldn't." Sherlock snapped, looking over to Collette who smiled and slid down off the stool to walk over. He had the shirt on today, the purple shirt. It was without a doubt her favorite.

"Hello John." Greg said politely as he picked up his beer.

"Greg." John said with a nod.

"I heard you were in the area, what are you up to? After this 'Hound of hell' like on the tellie?" Greg asked. Collette smiled, he wasn't the best actor.

"I'm waiting for an explanation Inspector, why are you here?" Sherlock repeated, looking serious despite Collette fixing his collar. Whenever he wore the purple shirt she had the habit of finding reasons to touch it, while she probably didn't realise herself that she did it, Sherlock had picked it up. He wondered if he unconsciously chose that shirt today for the sake of attracting her attention.

"I told you, I'm on holiday." Greg said with an amused smile.

"You're brown as a nut. You're clearly just back from holidays." Sherlock stated the obvious.

"Well maybe I fancied another one." Greg replied, his story coming undone.

"This is Mycroft isn't it?" Sherlock asked bitterly, knowing the stunt from yesterday would have caught his attention.

"Oh look-" Greg started.

"Of course it is, one mention of Baskerville and he sends down my handler to spy on me incognito. Is that why you're calling yourself Greg?" Sherlock asked with amusement, earning an odd look from his two friends.

"That's his name." John said.

"Is it?" Sherlock asked, pulling a face.

"Yes, if you ever bothered to find out. Look, I'm not your handler. I don't just do what your brother tells me." Greg replied, slightly insulted.

"Actually, you could be just the man we want." John started, reaching for something in his pocket.

"Why?" Sherlock asked.

"Well I've not beed idle, Sherlock. I think I might have found something. Didn't know if it was relevent, starting to look like it might be." John said, taking the receipt from his pocket. Collette looked it over as John showed Sherlock.

"Meat?" Collette asked, confused.

"An awful lot of meat for a vegetarian restaurant." John answered.

"Big scary inspector from Scotland yard that could put in a few calls, might come in handy." John said as he looked to Greg. The inspector finished off his beer and got to work.

"All that meat and I didn't even get bacon with my eggs." Collette commented to Sherlock as they all moved to the sitting room to overhear the questioning. Sherlock gave her a small smile.

Soon Collette leaned against the wall beside John as Lestrade questioned the two men. All of the questioning and crime solving was still new to Collette and very interesting. Collette didn't even notice Sherlock come over with coffee for John.

"Mm, I don't take sugar." John mumbled before he continued to drink his coffee. Collette looked over.

"I do, want me to drink it and grab another for yourself?" Collette offered.

"Yeah that'll work-" John started.

"No, you recently finished drinking beer. Not a nice mix." Sherlock said casually while giving Collette a look that said to play along. Collette didn't understand but agreed with him anyway. John forced down the sweet coffee while offering some praise, thinking it was Sherlock's way of making it up to him while in fact it was Sherlock thinking he could test an unknown drug on the poor, unsuspecting doctor.

Soon the truth of the pub owner's dog came out, John and Greg walked out to discuss it. Sherlock started to follow before feeling a familiar hand take his.

"Why couldn't I drink the coffee?" Collette asked quietly. Sherlock looked down and knew she wouldn't let it rest until she had answers.

"I'm testing a theory, I can't talk now but I will explain later." Sherlock offered, knowing the truth would come out soon enough. Collette sighed in protest but agreed and walked out to join the other men. Lestrade soon went on his way, not being able to charge the men and being of no more use to the detective and the doctor.

"That dog you saw wasn't an ordinary dog, was it?" John asked carefully.

"No. Had burning red eyes and it's body was glowing. John, it's whole body was glowing." Sherlock all but whispered deeply. Collette touched his arm gently.

"Sherlock..." She spoke kindly, to let him know she was there. Sherlock straightened up seriously.

"I have a theory, but I need to get back into Baskerville to test it." Sherlock, walking towards the land rover as he took out his phone.

"How? Can't pull off the ID trick again." John asked.

"Might not have to." Sherlock replied, dialling for Mycroft and speaking with him briefly. Collette stood beside John as they waited for Sherlock on the phone.

"I might go do some souvenir shopping or something, do you want a mug or a keychain?" Collette asked him.

"If he can get clearance, why don't you come along?" John asked, knowing Collette would find it interesting.

"I don't know, I don't want to get in the way..." Collette answered, knowing she wasn't much help on their cases.

"Get in, you're coming." Sherlock ordered as he got off the phone. Sometimes he didn't want Collette getting involved in his work but this time he knew there was someone out there that drugged Henry. He did not yet know who was behind it and so wanted Collette close so he could keep her safe.

"This is really cruel, do you know that?" Collette said as she stood beside Sherlock. He had explained his theory on the drugged sugar and if it were true; they were about to do to John what Sherlock had done to him the night before. The trap was all set, they just had to wait.

"It's perfectly safe." Sherlock said, not understanding the problem. Collette watched silently as John entered the dark room and began to go into panic mode. Sherlock played all the right sound effects into the PA system to set John off. Finally Sherlock called John, Collette frowned at the fear in his voice. After provoking John more with more noises, Sherlock lead Collette down to the lab. Upon seeing them, John was in hysterics.

"It's all ok now." Sherlock said calmingly.

"No, it's not ok! I saw it. I was wrong!" John shouted, he snapped just as Sherlock had the night before.

"Hm, well let's not jump to conclusions." Sherlock said as he pulled a face. Collette rubbed John's back gently to calm him.

"Tell him." Collette said to Sherlock.

"What? Tell me what?" John asked quickly.

"What did you see?" Sherlock asked, ignoring the question.

"I told you, I saw the hound." John said, breathing heavily.

"Huge, red eyes, glowing?" Sherlock questioned further.

"Yeah." John said, fear showing in his eyes.

"No." Sherlock said with a smile, knowing he was right.

"What?" John asked.

"Made up the bit about glowing. You saw what you expected to see because I told you. You have been drugged, we have all been drugged." Sherlock said calmly.

"Drugged..." John whispered, holding onto Collette's arm.

"Can you walk" Sherlock asked.

"Yes, of course I can walk." John said, still shaken.

"Come on then, it's time to lay this ghost." Sherlock said before walking off. John looked to Collette who gave him a sympathetic look and took his hand for reassurance. Soon Collette and John sat in another lab after Sherlock solved the 'Bluebell' case. Collette rubbed John's back gently as Doctor Stapleton stood with them. Sherlock was bent over a microscope, examining the sugar. Stapleton explained about the rabbit and what else was likely out there. They all looked as Sherlock threw the sample to the ground in rage.

"It's not there! Nothing is there!" He vented.

"What were you expecting to find?" Stapleston asked.

"The drug of course! The drug's not in the sugar!" Sherlock shouted, at this John looked up.

"Sugar?" John asked.

"The sugar yes, it's a simple process of elimination. I saw the hound, saw it as my imagination expected me to see it. A genetically engineered monster. But I knew I couldn't believe the evidence of my own eyes and there were seven possible reasons for it. The most possible reason being; narcotics. Henry Knight, he saw it too but you didn't John. You didn't see it. We have eaten and drunken exactly the same thing since we got here. Except for one thing; you don't take sugar in your coffee. I took it fron Henry's kitchen, his sugar... and it's perfectly alright." Sherlock said as he paced the room. John sat and went over everything in his head.

"Maybe it's not a drug." John said, confused.

"It has to be a drug! How did it get into our systems, how?!" Sherlock shouted as he went over the facts in his head and started mumbling off to himself. Collette watched carefully, it always amazed her watching him work.

"Get out." Sherlock said simply as he looked over to the group.

"What?" Stapleton asked, not understanding Sherlock's usual behaviour.

"Get out, I have to go to my mind palace." Sherlock said as if it were an explanation. John explained the purpose of a mind palace as they walked out of the lab.

Collette watched carefully as Sherlock explained 'Project H.O.U.N.D.' and then worked out the Baskerville Major's password with ease. She didn't want to interrupt Sherlock from his train of thought and so silently wondered how he hadn't guessed her password yet. They all looked over the file, it was all quite horrible for Collette to learn what the government did but then she should have known things like that happened. They soon realised that the man behind it all was Bob Franklin, a scientist that worked at Baskerville. Their plan to find him was cut short as John received a call from Henry's therapist. Henry had snapped and run off with a gun. Collette watched it all with excitement and nerves twisting around inside her. Sherlock called Lestrade and explained it all, ordering him to Dewer's Hollow.

Collette sat silently in the back seat of the land rover as they drove to the location. The thrill of the chase was something she hadn't felt before but she was also nervous. She wasn't a genius like Sherlock or a trained soldier like John.

"You'll stay in the car." Sherlock said quietly as he drove, Collette knew it was directed to her.

"No, I've got to come with you guys." Collette said, not wanting to be left alone. It was selfish but she was going to go with them.

"It's dangerous, he is unstable and has a gun." Sherlock said, trying to reason with her. He didn't want to put her in more danger.

"I don't care, I'll stay behind you if I have to. I'd feel safer with you." Collette said firmly, almost whispered the last sentence. Sherlock knew he could not refuse. They soon arrived and ran down to where Sherlock suspected Henry to be. He ordered Collette to remain behind him at all times, which she did. They found the man right on time as he had a gun in his mouth.

"Henry, no!" Sherlock shouted, running ahead.

"Get back, get back! Get away from me!" Henry cried out, he was very emotional. John and Sherlock talked him down carefully. Henry had got it into his head that he was the killer. It was heartbreaking to watch the man believe he had killed his own father. Sherlock explained it all and slowly calmed Henry down. Lestrade arrived just as John removed the gun from Henry's hand.

Just as Sherlock finished explained that they had seen a regular dog, the hound appeared. Collette stared in horror as a great black beast with red eyes appeared from behind the trees atop the nearby higher ground. All Collette could do was stand, frozen in fear. John wrapped his arm around her as Sherlock tried to reason with Henry that it was still just an ordinary dog. Collette was so focused on the dog that she did not see Sherlock move to grab Franklin.

"It's the fog! The drug is in the dog!" Sherlock shouted as he ripped the gas mask from Franklin. Collette pulled her coat collar over her mouth and nose as the others tried to cover themselves. John shot the dog with expert shooting before Sherlock made Henry face the wounded animal and address his fear. Sherlock explained it all with excitement, Franklin's great plan to keep Henry unstable to discredit his father.

"A chemical mindfield. Pressure pads dosing you up everytime you came back here. Murder weapon and scene of the crime all at once! This case Henry, thank you! It's been brilliant." Sherlock laughed as he looked over.

"Sherlock." Collette said in a scolding voice.

"What?" Sherlocked asked as John sighed and looked over to him.

"Timing." He answered, helping Henry up.

"Not good?" Sherlock asked, realising he had done it again. Henry began talking about how his father had been right, it was obvious that the man had been desperate until this point. The sound of the dog growling attracted their attention enough for Franklin to make a run for it. The group chased after him, thinking they had lost him until the explosion. He had run into the still active minefield. Collette grabbed hold of Sherlock's arm and watched. It was all over.

The next morning saw John and Collette sitting outside and eating another vegetatian breakfast. At least they knew how to make an omlette. Sherlock had given up the double bed and demanded his single room back and so Collette had shared her bed with John. Collette didn't understand it but never usually understood Sherlock's motives so let it go. Sherlock had been too embarassed to share a bed with her, he didn't want to risk the uneasy feelings in his stomach rising up again. Sleeping alone had cleared his head well, though he did feel what he believed was jealousy twisting in his chest as he came out with his and John's coffee to hear the two giggling about John's cold feet.

Their conversation soon changed over to Sherlock's experiment with John and the sugar. Sherlock explained it all to John while Collette carefully stole a mouthful of Sherlock's coffee; punishment for not bringing her one. She had her juice at least. John was annoyed but took it in his stride as Sherlock did not mean it in any harmful way.

"Any long term effects?" John asked as he ate.

"None whatsoever. You'll be fine once you've excreted it, we all will." Sherlock replied as he took back his coffee.

"Hm, think I may have taken care of that already." John replied, earning a chuckle from Sherlock and a dirty look from Collette.

"Some of us are trying to eat here." She replied.

"What are you talking about? I've seen you eat dinner with your eyes glued to those medical shows on the tellie that give graphical footage of major surgeries." John said.

"True. Carry on then." Collette replied with a smile before finishing off her food. This holiday had definitely been different from all her others.


	11. A very Harry New Year

Sherlock laid in bed as he woke slowly. In those few moments between sleeping and being truly awake he found himself thinking about how nice it would be to wake up with Collette against him again. That little thought shocked him awake quickly enough as he sat up straight and grasped his head in his large hands. He had dreamt about her too, they had shared a kiss that he initiated.

"Oh god, why?!" Sherlock shouted out in frustration. Why was his mind betraying him with feelings and sentimental attachment. An angry groan escaped his lips as he discovered that not only had his mind betrayed him, his body had too. A cold shower was his first task of the day. Once that was taken care of, Sherlock dressed in his well sitting suit and a white button shirt. The purple shirt had become a regular but Sherlock felt that he did not need Collette's hands on him today.

"John? Where's my tea, John?!" Sherlock called out as he looked around the empty living room. John was a military man, he was always up before Sherlock and that meant tea and sometimes even eggs and toast. Sherlock's nose wrinkled in displeasure as he made his way down to Mrs Hudson's flat. No one there either, though the two were not likely in the same place. Where was John? Not in their flat, not with Mrs Hudson, that meant the only other option was 221C. Sherlock was hoping to avoid Collette as much as possible today after his ridiculous dream. With a heavy sigh he moved down to the basement and did not bother to knock before stepping in. Collette looked up from the stove and smiled over.

"Morning!" She called as she stirred her scrambled eggs. The one little word was enough to catch Sherlock's attention as he found himself glance at her pale pink lips for just a second. It was still a second too long for his liking.

"Where's John?" Sherlock asked as he came over to inspect the food and pour himself a cup of tea. To his luck, the kettle had been recently boiled. He soon spotted Collette's cup of tea beside the stove, she had taken to drinking it more since living in England but still chose to take her tea in an ugly coffee mug. It was pink with owls on it. Sherlock gave a look of disgust before making his own tea in the correct type of cup.

"Um, he text last night and said he'd probably be home by lunch." Collette replied as she buttered some toast. Sherlock eyed off her scrambled eggs, she had made too much for just herself.

"Why? Where is he?" Sherlock asked and took a sip of tea, earning himself a look from Collette.

"Um, he's been visiting his sister for the past week. You didn't even notice he was gone, did you?" Collette accused, knowing she was right.

"There's been tea and breakfast waiting for me each morning, how was I to know he was gone?" Sherlock commented while watching Collette plate up her breakfast, at that moment he realised that he was actually hungry.

"Mrs Hudson's been making you tea each morning." Collette replied, plating up a second lot of eggs and toast.

"And my breakfast too?" Sherlock asked. Collette sighed and sat a plate infront of him.

"That was me, had to make sure you didn't starve. I suppose this explains why neither of us ever got a thank you. You are really hopeless sometimes, you know that?" Collette said as she took her own plate and tea over to the small table. Sherlock soon followed, he knew he lost track of time sometimes but this instance was probably quite bad.

"Um, thank you." Sherlock said quietly and sat down across from her. Collette looked over but her expression soon softened into a smile, she was used to these things by now.

"You're welcome. I've got some left over lasagne from last night if you'd like it for lunch too." Collette said as she tucked into her breakfast, she never normally cooked breakfast for herself but this week she made the effort for the sake of keeping Sherlock fed. Sherlock vaguely remembered eating lasagne the night before and wondered just how much more Collette had been doing for him without him realising it.

"I won't need to eat lunch." Sherlock replied, eating his own meal.

"You're eating lunch and it's that or a sandwich." Collette said firmly.

"Lasgne sounds delicious." Sherlock forced out with a polite smile, trying to recall if he enjoyed it the night before or not. A soft beep caught Collette attention as she left the table to check her phone on the counter.

"I guess we're having a house guest. John said that Harry has invited herself for New Years." Collette said as she returned to Sherlock.

"His alcoholic sister is not someone I have a desire to meet." Sherlock replied in a bored tone.

"Sherlock, it's John's sister. That means you have to suck it up and be nice for his sake." Collette said sternly as she ate her toast, sometimes Sherlock needed to be brought into line and she would do it if she had to.

"There's no where for her to sleep." Sherlock replied childishly. He was content with the way things were and did not like change.

"We'll find somewhere. Maybe John can come share my bed and she can take his or something." Collette replied, having shared a bed with John before and not seeing the harm in doing it again for a few days.

"Absolutely not." Sherlock replied before he had time to find an excuse. Collette smiled over to him somewhat darkly as she took their plates.

That afternoon, John braced himself as he got out of the cab with his sister. Sherlock and Harry in the same room would be a disaster. He wanted to avoid it as much as possible but once he had arrived at his sister's house, she started a week long guilt trip about wanting to know where he lived and so she was visiting for two days.

"Remember Harry, try to behave yourself and you know, don't try to kill Sherlock." John said as he opened the door and headed in with his bag, Harry following behind and removing her coat.

"Don't worry about it, John. I'll be on my best behaviour." Harry replied with a playful smile and walked up the stairs to myself herself at home. Sherlock sat in his armchair with the paper, looking for anything exciting and coming up short. Collette was in the kitchen, trying to tidy up a bit for John's return.

"Ah, you're back, you were well missed. Good trip?" Sherlock asked as he looked to John.

"Nice try, Collette said you didn't notice I was gone until this morning." John said, his voice drawing Collette into the living room. She came over with a smile and gave the good doctor a hug.

"Hope he didn't drive you insane." John whispered with a smile. Collette gave him a knowing smirk.

"You must be Collette, it's nice to know someone is looking after my brother." Harry said as she pulled Collette in for a hug as well. Sherlock smirked as he saw Collette go into her awkward mode, she wasn't good around new people; especially the loud, confident people.

"Nice to meet you." Collette said politely and stepped over to stand with John.

"Harry, you probably know this is Sherlock and Sherlock, you obviously know this is Harry." John said, sounding as if he was pained to introduce them. Sherlock looked his sister over, taking in every detail. John gave him a look that almost begged him not to start. Sherlock smiled and leaned back in his chair. He didn't need to read Harriet Watson, he already knew enough about her already.

"Ah, the famous Sherlock Holmes." Harry said in a condescending tone. Sherlock bit back a comment, knowing he'd have to deal with both John and Collette coming down on him if he let it out.

"Pleasure." Sherlock said with as much self control as he could.

"Where should I put my bags Johnny?" Harry asked with a smile. John mumbled a little, trying to work out where she would stay. Collette moved over with a smile.

"Sherlock has kindly given up his room for your visit." Collette said with a smile.

"Have I?" Sherlock asked, John asking the alternative version of "Has he?" in unison with the detective.

"Yes. You refused the idea of John and I sharing for Harry to have John's room. So that means she has to have your room, right?" Collette asked, giving Sherlock a sweet smile. Looking back on it, Sherlock would know that the sweet smile was a trap but somehow his mind betrayed him yet again. His first and only thought that if he gave up his own bed, that would entitle him to share with Collette.

"Yes, of course. That works out well. Take my room Harry, I insist." Sherlock said all too quickly before seeing a smirk on Collette's face.

"I should warn you Sherlock, John's got cold feet so you might want to watch for that." Collette said playfully as she took Harry's bag and lead her to Sherlock's room, leaving the boys to exchange a look while they both processed what just happened.

"Women." Sherlock spat out angrily in bed that night beside John. John rolled over and groaned, he dearly hoped that he would not have to put up one of Sherlock's temper tantrums all night.

"Why didn't you just agree to me sleeping in her bed then? That way you'd have your bed to yourself." John asked before his brain started ticking. Collette and Sherlock had acted like a couple on more than one occasion. John was the one to witness most of their close interactions.

Sherlock laid silently for a moment, there was reason he could give that did not sound foolish. Sherlock did not want John that close to her, he did not want John snuggling up to her, he did not want John laughing with her the next morning as if they shared some special secret. The thought of it made his insides twist. Even if the man in question was John, Sherlock did not want other men to be so close to Collette. Sherlock forced himself to calm down after noticing his breathing getting louder.

"You like her, don't you?" John asked finally. The words sounded so final, John had discovered Sherlock's secret.

"Yes." Sherlock said in a soft tone, why was he finding himself lost for words? John chuckled softly.

"The great Sherlock Holmes, all loved up like a confused teenager." John said, thoroughly amused that for once he was not the one with girl problems.

"It is not funny." Sherlock said seriously.

"Oh it is, it really is." John said with a smile. Sherlock rolled over to face away from John angrily and huffed out.

"You're no help." He said bitterly. John calmed himself and tapped Sherlock's shoulder.

"Ok, ok. Let's talk about this. Are you going to ask her out?" John asked. Sherlock glanced back over.

"No. I don't understand dating or relationships, I barely understand my own feelings at this point. I know the science of love but actually feeling it is something completely different." Sherlock said seriously, wondering if John could offer any advice. John had seemed to be smitten with a lot of women, he had to have some understanding of it by now.

"Love, like a woman, is complicated." John replied, earning a look from Sherlock.

"That's the best you've got? After all the women I've seen you with and that is all you can offer me?" Sherlock asked bitterly.

"Alright, alright." John mumbled as he sat up and moved over to his desk to write out a note.

"What are you doing now?" Sherlock asked, fed up with John's help already. John moved over and handed him the note.

"Take this and see me in the morning." John said with a smile, sounding every bit the doctor. Sherlock looked at the note and found himself smiling as he pulled on his dressing gown and made his way down to the basement.

Collette stumbled out of bed at the sound of knocking on her bedroom door. She turned on the blinding light and opened the door slowly to see the great detective waiting for her. Without so much as a word he handed her a small piece of paper, pushed passed her, threw his dressing gown over her set of drawers and made himself comfortable on her bed.

"What the hell?" Collette asked and looked over to him as he rearranged her pillows.

"The note." Sherlock replied with a smile. Collette rolled her eyes and focused enough to read the paper in her hand.

_'C, He's already driven me mental. Your problem now. - JW.'_


	12. A very Harry New Year pt II

"How on Earth did you get kicked out of John's room so early? We only called it a night thirty minutes ago." Collette complained as she turned off the light and made her way back to bed. Her leg brushed up against him as she tried to get comfortable, just one touch was enough to make his lips twitch into a smile. He was glad the dark hid his reaction.

"You know John, he can be a bit difficult at times." Sherlock said, feeling the pillow beneath his head getting tugged out from under him.

"That's my pillow, there are plenty of others to use. And John is not the difficult one in this household." Collette replied as she tried to get comfortable. Sherlock grabbed one of the others on her bed, not understanding why she needed so many.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, almost everyone has their flaws." Sherlock replied. Collette groaned as Sherlock did not realise that he was the difficult one.

"You're on my side, switch sides with me or I won't be able to sleep." Collette said, giving up on trying to get comfortable. This was her bed and she was not about to give up her spot for Sherlock.

"If we must." Sherlock mumbled until he felt Collette start to climb over him.

"Well, move over then." Collette said, currently hovering over Sherlock and waiting for him to move for her to take his spot. Sherlock stared up at the dark figure, unable to see much at all as his mind searched for something to say, anything to say.

"A recent study in sleeping habits show that people who sleep on the left side of the bed are more likely to be happier while people who sleep on the right side of the bed make more money at work." Sherlock found himself spilling before moving to the right side of the bed while thinking himself an idiot. Collette smiled and got comfortable in her spot.

"Think it was done on a lot of couples? Unhappy man working his arse off while happy woman takes all his money." Collette added in as she curled up. Sherlock glanced over to where he knew Collette was.

"Is that how couples typically work?" Sherlock questioned. While he knew a lot about dating and relationships through study and observation, he did not understand it all that much. Sherlock simply knew enough for his work but now he was interested in it for other reasons.

"Some, yes. One of my friends is a bit of a gold digger. Every guy she's dated would end up paying for everything." Collette said, yawning loudly once she had finished talking. Somehow, just laying in bed with Sherlock and talking about 'normal' things felt very comforting.

"Were you like that when you dated?" Sherlock pushed further, wondering if he'd end up the type of man that follows a woman around and carries her shopping while she used his credit card. Collette let out a soft laugh.

"No, not at all actually. He lost his job halfway through out relationship, global recession and all that, so I ended up paying for most things. Besides, even if he had of been working; I don't think I could ever be one of those women that just make men buy them things with ease." Collette said as she turned on her side to face what was the darkened figure of Sherlock.

"I see. Why not?" Sherlock said, deciding while she was in a talkative mood to get her to speak her mind as much as possible.

"I don't know. You know I'm awkward with all those kinds of things. It's probably my pride that gets in the way. My family didn't have a lot of money growing up so now that I'm an adult, I enjoy being able to pay for things myself. Also, I really hate when women seem to use sex or attention as a way to get things from men. In a relationship, affection should be given freely." Collette reasoned.

"In an ideal world people would be smart enough to know that." Sherlock found himself saying as his eyelids began to grow heavy.

"Even smart people can be idiots when it comes to love." Collette said as she closed her eyes.

"That is a universal truth." Sherlock found himself agreeing as he began to drift off.

"Goodnight, Sherlock." Collette whispered as she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Sherlock's cheek. By this point Sherlock was sound asleep. Collette continued to get comfortable before finally finding the perfect sleeping position and drifting off.

Sherlock woke slowly as the smell of Collette overwhelmed his senses. He let out a content groan until his mind caught up with him. He was in Collette's bed. With that thought Sherlock's eyes opened and looked to the empty spot across from him. He sighed with relief and closed his eyes again to give himself time to wake up properly. While he had not dreamed that night, Sherlock still found that his body had betrayed him once more, probably due to the smell of Collette on her pillows, sheets and blankets. It was everywhere. He casually pushed his hand under the covers to adjust his now somewhat tight and uncomfortable pajama pants, a soft groan escaped his lips in frustration as he wished he didn't have _those_ kinds of needs. Sherlock was no where near as sexually needy as John but still on occasion found that his body needed to be taken care of. For Sherlock, it was more for function rather than enjoyment. The mind was what mattered, the body was just transport. Masturbation from time to time was more than enough for him but since Collette had come into his life and he had developed feelings for her; things had changed. She was something that could stimulate his urges, much like coffee or cigarettes. Sherlock started to wonder if sex could be as bad addiction as the others he had faced. He froze in place as a soft laugh filled the air.

"If you're doing what I think you're doing, take it to the bathroom please." Came Collette's voice from the other side of the room. Sherlock's eyes shot open and looked down to see Collette by her wardrobe. It quickly registered to him that he had just placed his hand down to his pajama pants and groaned. It must look bad from Collette's perspective, though truthfully the situation was still quite bad.

"This isn't what it looks like." Sherlock found himself saying, the same line John had used on him once when Sherlock had caught him looking at pornography on his computer. Collette smiled over.

"I know, I was joking. Now that you're up, which do you think is better?" Collette asked as she held up a navy blue shirt and a black shirt of similar design. Sherlock sat up, making sure he was covered.

"You're already dressed. Do you not like what you've got on?" Sherlock asked in confusion.

"I'm picking an outfit for tonight. New Year's Eve. Harriet said we're all going out." Collette said with an excited smile. Sherlock groaned.

"You've got to be kidding, going out on New Year's Eve in London is the worst thing you could do. Wouldn't you rather stay in and watch the fireworks on tellie?" Sherlock suggested hopefully.

"No, we're going out. Now pick one." Collette said firmly as she showed off her shirts again. Her friends back home would likely kill her if she stayed in that night.

"I do not wish to be stuck in a crowd of drunken idiots all night." Sherlock replied as he pointed to the blue shirt.

"See, that's the thing. It won't be bad to be in a drunken crowd of idiots if you are one of those idiots." Collette explained with excitement. Normally the idea of going out like this would make her nervous but tonight was different; she would be with her boys. The men fought crime for a living, they could handle some rowdy partiers. Collette was also not the odd one out of the group either, they were all just a little bit different. Back home, when Collette went out with her friends she would end up feeling bad about herself by the end of the night due to her friends' nitpicking. Her clothes, her shoes, her hair, her makeup, her lack of boyfriend. It had a way of wearing a girl down. But tonight she was going out with John; a man who had already offered to shoot anyone who gives her a hard time. Harriet; a woman who told her she looked hot in her pjs and bedhead. And Sherlock; a man who was worse with people than she was that made her feel just right being herself.

"I have no intention of becoming a drunk idiot." Sherlock said stubbornly.

"I've seen you drink before." Collette said as she picked out jeans to wear.

"Yes but I do not wish to drink so much that it hinders my ability to think." Sherlock replied. Collette shrugged.

"Oh well, that just means you can look after me when I'm drunk. Please, do not let any guys hit on me. Oh, that reminds me." Collette said as she slipped off her ring and placed it on her wedding finger. Sherlock smiled, he already knew he wouldn't have let any man hit on her.

"Just don't get carried away. I have no desire to carry you home or hold your hair while you throw up." Sherlock said, checking that his morning trouble had gone down before getting up and slipping his dressing gown on.

"I won't. I'll just drink enough to be a happy idiot, not a sloppy idiot. Oh, you know what could be fun?" Collette said with a smile. Sherlock raised a brow.

"Staying in tonight?" He pushed, Collette laughed him off.

"No, tonight you should be my husband." She answered, throwing Sherlock off completely.

"Your husband?" He asked, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him and coming up with several reasons for why it might.

"Yeah. That would be a good excuse for you to have when keeping creepy guys away and you could also use that if any drunk girls try to hit on you. Unless you want girls to hit on you..." Collette mumbled off the last part, wondering if Sherlock might enjoy that kind of attention.

"No, no. That sounds like a good idea to me." Sherlock said, putting his acting skills to good use to hide any excitement he was feeling. It was the ideal opportunity to try out a relationship with Collette without actually being in one. There were so many risks involved with dating that the thought of it bothered Sherlock. For one night he could play the part without the risk of hurting Collette or ruining what they already had. Perhaps the night out was something to be excited for afterall.

Sherlock sat in the crowded pub with a bitter look on his face. The night had not been as ideal as he had imagined. Harry had insisted on pre-drinks before going out which lead to an arguement with the bouncer outside the pub who believed she was too intoxicated. John somehow smoothed it all out and got them into the heavily crowded pub. Soon after getting in and finding a table, he and John were left to look after the women's coats and bags while they got lost on the dancefloor. The dancefloor looked more like a sweaty, orgy pit as fools dry humped one another. John had just gone to get them drinks but got caught flirting with a woman at the bar which left Sherlock alone with the thought that some idiot was rubbing up against a slightly drunk Collette while he was stuck looking after the table. Sherlock took out his phone and sent a text to ask her where she was. Only then did he hear her familiar beep, signalling that he phone was in her bag. He sighed in defeat and unzipped her bag to remove it, upon checking it he found that she also locked her phone with an impossible to guess password but there was one perk. Her background picture was of her kissing his cheek, the photo she took at Christmas.

"Don't you ever give up?" Collette asked as she sat down across from him looking hot and bothered. What he knew could only be jealousy flared up and he felt his chest grow tight knowing that she had been dancing with some man.

"I don't give up until I crack the case." Sherlock said, using every ounce of self control to not snap at her for acting like an animal.

"Well, stick with it and one day I might tell you. Where's John? I almost died out there." Collette said loudly as more music started up.

"An overload of men trying to grab at you?" Sherlock asked bitterly.

"No, more like getting trampled. I'm kind of invisible to guys actually. I don't like dancing at all, I kind of freeze up." Collette said.

"Why would you be invisible though?" Sherlock asked, not understanding. Collette leaned in more for him to hear her over the music.

"Look at those other girls, the ones getting attention." Collette pointed out. Sherlock looked over, still not understanding why those girls got more attention.

"They're showing way more skin. They're all made up to look as good as possible. I dressed while thinking of how to keep warm." Collette explained once it was clear Sherlock was not getting the picture.

"But you're beautiful, isn't that enough?" Sherlock asked, causing Collette to smile. He'd never complimented her like that before and it was enough to make her stomach twist in excitement.

"Think of it like this; the girls who are showing a lot of skin are basically saying that they are available for one night stands. That's what a lot of men are looking for tonight." Collette explained. Sherlock gave a nod of understanding, still believing that any man would be foolish to not notice Collette. He took the time to study the women who were getting attention, reading over their similar traits before turning back to Collette. She was so different from other women, but Sherlock knew that might just be a personal opinion rather than a scientific conclusion based on his deductions.

"Buy you a pint, love?" Sherlock was caught off guard as he saw a man approach Collette. He growled out, how could the man not see that she was already spoken for? Sherlock's eyes scanned over the man with expert speed. Still in university, plays rugby, good with women, cocky, already had a girl's number written on his hand. Sherlock then looked over to Collette to judge her reaction, he had never seen her more uncomfortable.

"No thank you." She said too quietly, Sherlock was able to read her lips but the man went in closer.

"What was that? Music's a bit loud!" The man called out, placing his hand on Collette's shoulder. He was too close.

"She's not interested." Sherlock answered for her in a loud, dominating voice.

"I think she can speak for herself, mate." The man replied, disregarding Sherlock. It was obvious that the man thought highly of charm. Collette tried to find her voice and held up her hand to show the ring.

"He can speak for me in this case. He's my hubby." Collette said as loudly as she could and placed a hand over Sherlock's to get the point across. The man gave a look of understanding before flashing a cheeky grin.

"Well if you ever get bored with him, let me know." The man said with a wink before moving off to try his luck with someone else. Sherlock muttered angrily to himself.

"Thanks for that, I never know what to say in those situations." Collette said with more confidence, able to talk to Sherlock with ease. John returned with a tray of drinks and a girl beside him, he gave a smile as he saw the couple's hands.

"Well look at you two, getting along quite nicely. This is Ellen, she's joining us for the night." John said with a smile. Collette quickly removed her hand, hiding a blush as she grabbed her drink. Sherlock looked up to John with a look that said he had interrupted. John could only give a smile smile before sitting down with his new woman. Sherlock really didn't know how John did it, he seemed to attract women easily enough but had no luck with keeping them. A few drinks later Harry returned from the dancefloor with her own new woman and looking very close.

"It's almost time, they're putting the fireworks on the tellie!" Harry said as she grabbed her drink to down it before the countdown. Sure enough the music was lowered and everyone made their way to gather around the large screen.

"Don't lose me in the crowd, ok?" Collette said as her and Sherlock moved to join them. Sherlock placed a firm hand on her shoulder to keep track of her in the masses. Collette counted down in unison with all the pub goers and watched with excitement on the large screen as Big Ben chimed and the fireworks began. It wasn't until she turned to Sherlock to wish him a happy new year that she was made to feel uncomfortable. All around them, couples were sharing their first kisses for the year. John and Harry had both found someone to kiss as well which made the situation more awkward. Collette never usually cared that she was single, in fact to rely so heavily on being in a relationship seemed strange to her, but it was times like this that made her truly feel like the odd one out. Sherlock had picked up on the uncomfortable feeling Collette was giving off decided there was just one thing for it.

"Happy New Year." He said in a low voice as he cupped Collette's cheek and leaned down to give her a slightly awkward, inexperienced and unsure yet completely wonderful kiss.

"Happy New Year." Collette replied with a shy smile.

A few more hours later saw the group home safely. Sherlock laid uncomfortably in bed beside Collette as she teased him by pointing out that Harry and her one night stand were making full use of Sherlock's bed. By the time they got up, Harry was gone and the 'marriage' was over. Both Sherlock and Collette were left to wonder if the kiss had been part of the act or something more.

**Author's note: Hey all, I'd love your opinions on something. I want to have someone from Collette's life come to visit. This will either be her much loved mother, her odd ex-boyfriend or her bad influence of a best friend. I can't decide because I think they would all be interesting to write about. What do you think? I'd love to hear all your opinions and ideas. Once again, thanks for the support and hope you enjoyed reading! Please review.**


	13. Bored!

**Author's note: So I asked for your opinions and you gave them to me. It seems that my readers all want different things and some even offered some good ideas too. I believe the most liked visitor is the ex-boyfriend so you should expect to see him showing up at some point. Everyone seems to want a jealous and possessive Sherlock, which I think would be fun to write. But I also want to include her mother and bestie at some point so they might just have to pay a visit later on in the story.**

Collette walked up the stairs with a plate of freshly made cupcakes. It had been two weeks since New Years and Sherlock had not mentioned the kiss at all, so Collette felt it was safe to say that it wasn't meant to be anything more than a nice one time kiss. For now things were back to normal or as normal as things could be in their household.

"Bored!" Sherlock shouted as he unloaded his gun into the wall. Collette stopped halfway up the stairs and turned around to walk straight back down. John was coming home from the shops just as she made it down to the ground floor.

"What's going on?" John asked as he heard a gunshot and mouthed a small 'oh'.

"Obviously there aren't enough murders going on. Here's some cupcakes." Collette said and shoved the plate into John's empty hand before going down to her flat. John sighed and walked up the stairs with a plate of brightly coloured cupcakes and a bag of the essentials; milk, tea and bread.

Collette remembered all the times Sherlock had been left in his state of boredom too long. He would become unpleasant, angry and seek cigarettes. If he was denied the cigarettes, he would be quite horrible to everyone around him. She had to think of something to do and fast for everyone's sake.

"I'm home. Put the gun away, Sherlock." John said as he entered the living room. Sherlock looked up lazily from his slouched position in his armchair. At least he was dressed today but the look on his face said that the shooting was only the first of many annoyances to come unless he had something to do.

"Good, you're home. Where's my cigarettes? Oh she's been baking again. Bring me one then." Sherlock said, a tiny distraction in the form of baked goods. John sighed and walked over, offering him the plate. Sherlock looked over each one before making a selection.

"Most people say please when they want something." John scolded but knew it fell on deaf ears.

"You know, her baking would be much more enjoyable if she didn't insist on using food dye in everything." Sherlock commented as he bit into his selected treat. A blue cupcake with purple icing, both of which in the flavor of vanilla.

"It's what she enjoys. They're still good." John sat as he sat the plate on the coffee table and helped himself to one.

"I suppose. Wait, why didn't she bring them up herself?" Sherlock questioned as his mind began to tick away.

"Well she seemed busy but the gunshots might have scared her away." John replied between mouthfuls. Sherlock groaned in his chair.

"There is nothing to do. No murders in ages, no crimes of importance. This is why people are stupid John, nothing intellectually stimulating ever happens!" Sherlock shouted in anger.

"John?" Came Collette's voice. It was soft and cautious, the tone she took on when she was around strangers. Both men looked over as Collette moved into the doorway.

"Wow." John found himself saying aloud. Collette wore a short black dress that fit her perfectly. The top half was tight while the skirt flared out to give her an amazing figure. It was the colour of her accessories that drew Sherlock's attention; burgundy. She matched her heels to the thin belt around her waist. She wore a silver necklace and earrings. Sherlock tried to recall why the colouring meant something to him. It was already obvious to him that she was done up a lot more than usual.

"Will you zip me up?" Collette asked as she turned around. John did as he was asked and moved over to do up the zip in the back of her dress. It was then that Sherlock picked up on her perfume, it was her most expensive brand. What did it all mean?

"All set. You look great, where are you off to?" John asked with a smile. Collette looked away bashfully.

"That's a secret, wish me luck." Collette said, glancing over to Sherlock for just moment before heading downstairs to put her coat on and grab a small black clutch. The moment Sherlock heard the door shut, it all clicked.

"We have to follow her." He said quickly and was halfway down the stairs when John started to follow.

"What? Why? She obviously doesn't want us to know." John said but pulled his coat on anyway and followed Sherlock outside as he hailed a cab.

"She's going on a date." Sherlock said, the alarm showing in his voice. Soon both men sat in the back of a cab as it followed, with discretion, the cab taking Collette to her unknown destination.

"How do you know that?" John questioned.

"You saw the way she was dressed. When have you ever seen her dress like that?" Sherlock questioned, already believing he had it worked out.

"A job interview maybe? I mean she seems to enjoy working at the pub well enough but maybe she's looking for a full time job." John tried to reason.

"No, no, no! Job interviews are blue." Sherlock said, leaving John more confused.

"I'm sorry, blue?" He questioned. Sherlock gave his usual look that made John feel like an idiot.

"Haven't you read her ebooks? 'The Art of Colour' describes what wearing different colours mean; how people perceive them, which colours look best on different skin tones, what colours to wear for certain situations, that kind of thing. She clearly states that one should wear blue in an interview and backs it up with some recent study that showed interviewers are more likely to believe someone wearing a blue shirt is honest." Sherlock explained, John raised an eyebrow and wondered how much of the female aimed books he had taken in.

"Ok, that makes sense. So she's wearing red, what's that mean?" John asked, trying to follow where Sherlock was going with all this.

"Not just red, John, burgundy. Burgundy! In the book she wrote a chapter on what colours to wear on a date. She states that reds, corals and pinks are the sensual colours. She then goes on to say that while red grabs attention, wearing a shade that is too bright will work against you. You see it's all about finding the right shade for you, she gives an exmaple and specifically says that burgundy is the shade she finds suits her best. She wore burgundy shoes and a belt. She wanted to draw attention to her legs and her curves. She also wore silver as well. Metallics are good for keeping a man's attention as well as a lot of men tend to enjoy looking at 'shiny things'. The necklace for her bust, the earrings for her face. Oh yes, there's no denying that she is going on a date." Sherlock said quickly with passion. Whoever this man was, Sherlock would find him and discover what was wrong with him. The sooner Collette knew that her potential mate was flawed, the better.

Soon the two men sat in a small cafe as Sherlock stared intently out the window to the salon across the street. Collette was there, having her nails done. John sighed and read the paper as he sipped on a cup of tea.

"I don't know why we're doing this. She's having her nails done, not going on a date. She must just be having a girl's day." John sighed. Sherlock growled out.

"If only I could get a closer look without being spotted." He mumbled, obviously not listening to John. The shop's only window was in it's door, leaving Sherlock without any view. He simply had to wait until she came out. Sherlock stared intently as the door, not noticing John check his phone with a smile.

Two cups of tea and a slice of cake later saw John well fed before he was forced into another cab to follow Collette across town. He couldn't help but smile a little as Sherlock started listing off theories of who the man in question could be.

"Lestrade and her were quite chummy during the Baskerville case." Sherlock thought aloud.

"Lestrade is over twenty years older than her and married." John said.

"Unhappily married." Sherlock mumbled in response.

"It's really eating at you that she's got a date, isn't it?" John asked with a smirk.

"What? Of course not! It's the principle of it. If she wanted to date she should have sought my opinion first, who knows what this man must be like. Some pervert, praying on Collette's unqiue personality." Sherlock spat out, making John laugh.

"You talk as if you own her." John said seriously, glad that Collette could stand up for herself against Sherlock. Mrs Hudson bowed to every whim of Sherlock's. John admitted to himself that he also catered to the detective far too much. If Collette got into that habit, who knew how she would end up. Sherlock chose to ignore John's comment, believing he merely wanted what was best for Collette.

"Mycroft perhaps. But she's said before that there isn't anything romantic between them. That Liam bloke she works with, he's a pig." Sherlock spat out angrily.

"You've never even met him!" John said, knowing Sherlock was overreacting.

"No, but barmen tend to sleep with a lot of women. That's common knowledge." Sherlock reasoned. John sighed and tapped away at his phone for the rest of the trip, ignoring Sherlock's other completely unreasonable choices for Collette's date.

An hour later saw the boys standing in an alleyway, watching as Collette sat outside a small restaurant. She drank a glass of water and looked a little anxious, she had been waiting for twenty minutes.

"He's late. Perhaps he's not coming... no that's not possible. She's gone to all that effort, of course he's coming." Sherlock muttered in a hushed tone. John sighed and looked over to him.

"Why don't you just text her and ask what she's doing?" John suggested, already knowing the answer to the puzzle.

"I can't do that." Sherlock said proudly, not about to give up on the case. John rolled his eyes, it had been amusing but it was getting late. He took his phone from his pocket and sent a message. Sherlock could see Collette sit up straighter and check her phone, he looked over to John.

"What did you send?!" Sherlock demanded angrily, wondering if he had been given away. A soft beep caught his attention as he checked his own phone with haste.

"_You're late_." The message read, Sherlock raised an eyebrow before looking over to John who could not suppress a smirk.

"I'll leave you to it then." John said as he headed off alone. Sherlock looked down to the message once more before coming out of the alleyway and walking over to Collette's table. Collette smiled up to him and indicated to the chair across from her. Sherlock sat cautiously.

"I'm your date?" Sherlock asked, completely confused.

"Took you long enough. Even after I gave you a clue." Collette said with smile and held up her hand to reveal her nails in a shade of grey-blue, a similar shade to both his scarf and favorite dressing gown.

"Why?" Sherlock asked, still unclear.

"You were bored, I decided to give you some entertainment. Plus, I've been to dinner with John plenty of times but you never want to come. Had to get you out somehow." Collette smiled, rather proud of her wicked plan. He couldn't say he was bored now.

**Author's note: I was inspired by Irene Adler to write this chapter. Always inviting Sherlock to dinner and never getting a response. Collette took matters into her own hands. Please review!**


	14. The Case of the Ex

**Author's note: First off, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all my reviewers. It was amazing to wake up to a mass amount of emails. So, thank you! I love you all! Secondly, a lot of people have asked when Moriarty will make his appearance. I did plan to make this chapter the start of my Moriarty chapters, but I've decided to rearrange it a little. So I just wanted to say that he is coming, just not yet. Afterall, the more little storylines I can come up with, the longer I can keep writing this story (which I love). But I also need to say that I'm almost out of storylines to write, so if anyone wants to send in some ideas of what they would like to see; please do so. As always, please review.**

Sherlock sat in his usual chair and cleaned his violin bow with great care. Today was Thursday and Thursday meant date night. At least that was what it referred to in the Baker street household. Every Monday, John took Collette out for dinner and after being tricked into going to dinner with her; Sherlock had agreed to taking her out once a week as well.

While at first he was a little reluctant; he soon grew to enjoy it. Collette enjoyed listening to stories of Sherlock's old cases. They had even started up a little game together; Collette would make deductions about a stranger and Sherlock would correct her. And then when the night was almost over, they would share a dessert of Collette's choice. The night would end inside the front door, when Sherlock would need to go upstairs and Collette downstairs. If Collette had drank more than two glasses of wine, he would get a kiss on the cheek and if not then he would take it as a cue to kiss her cheek instead. The ending was his favorite part of the night.

John had explained his 'date night' with Collette and revealed that their night together was far more casual. Food, maybe a movie and a few drinks. They two would then stumble home and share a friendly hug before going their own ways. Sherlock was content with John taking Collette out, he knew that what he had with Collette was very different to what John had with her. Collette and John were clearly good friends but Sherlock believed that he and Collette seemed like something more. There was potential for a romantic relationship to develop, once the two were ready. For now, Sherlock was quite happy with what they had.

Sherlock was thankful that Collette was not 'normal' like other women were with relationships. He knew that he could never just jump into being a regular couple. Collette did not seem to be pushing for more than his company, she did not actively seek a boyfriend nor show the need for marriage. Sherlock had observed a lot of women who could not handle living without a boyfriend and women who went out of their way to find a husband. With both Sherlock and John's company, Collette was settled with her life.

The buzzer was pressed twice and caught Sherlock's attention. John was busy making their lunch, Sherlock sighed out before forcing himself up from his chair to answer the door. Upon opening the door, Sherlock's skills went into overdrive. A man taller than himself stood in the doorway. Sherlock noticed several things: The man had a large duffel bag behind him; he was travelling and planning to stay in London for at least a week. Wore an oversized blue waterproof coat although it had not been raining; had no understanding of London weather or simply had no idea how to dress. The man was out of shape; he didn't take care of himself or didn't care about his appearance. But he was recently shaven, a small cut remained on his neck. Intially, Sherlock believed the man could be Collette's brother but there was no genetic similarities. There was something else too, something that Sherlock could not pick out that made him dislike this man.

"What do you want?" Sherlock asked directly. The man gave a small smile.

"I'm looking for Collette? I'm her boyfriend." The man said with a smile. The word hit Sherlock like lightning. Boyfriend, she had a boyfriend? Sherlock gave the man a disgusted look before snapping.

"John! Come here. You, stay there." Sherlock ordered as he made his way down to Collette's flat. He entered without knocking and looked around before hearing music coming from the bathroom. Without thinking he quickly pushed the door open to see Collette sitting in the bath, shaving her legs.

"What are you doing?!" Collette shouted more in shock than anger as she attempted to cover herself.

"Your boyfriend is here!" Sherlock spat out like venom, causing only more confusion for poor Collette.

"I don't have a boyfriend." Collette said seriously, while he had already seen everything she still made the effort to hide the essentials.

"Well there's a man here claiming to be your boyfriend." Sherlock said, calming a little as he saw that Collette was telling the truth.

"I have no idea who it could be then. Let me get dressed and I'll come up." Collette tried to reason. Sherlock was about to leave and give her some privacy before hearing two sets of footsteps.

"Hey babe." The man said with a smile as he stepped into the bathroom.

"I told him to wait at the door!" John said, coming in and almost hidden behind the taller man.

"Jeremy? What the fuck?! Get out! I'm naked!" Collette shouted in a confused anger. John made the effort to show the man now known as Jeremy out while Sherlock remained. The name clicked.

"Jeremy, your ex-boyfriend." Sherlock stated as he looked over to a now heavily embarassed Collette.

"Yes, I don't know why he's here." Collette said as she reached for a towel before giving Sherlock a look that said to give her some privacy. It was only now that he had a vague idea of what was going on that Sherlock realised he had invaded Collette's personal space, he quickly turned his back to her. Ten minutes later saw the three men sitting in Collette's small living room as she wore a heavy dressing gown and made up their beverages in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Collette asked as she poured three teas and one coffee.

"Can't we talk about this in private?" Jeremy asked, not wanting the other two men around them.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say infront of them. They're family." Collette replied, not wanting to be left alone with him as she knew what would happen. Jeremy always had a way of playing on Collette's emotions.

"Ok, well. I came all the way over here because I want to get back together." Jeremy said, looking over to Collette. Sherlock shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"You couldn't have called or sent an email first?" Collette asked, not completely surprised as she came over with the tray and squeezed in between John and Sherlock on her two seater couch. Jeremy reached for his coffee and took a sip before smiling.

"You remembered exactly how I like it." He said.

"Yeah well, you're the only person I know who likes vanilla extract in their coffee." Collette replied. The entire situation was uncomfortable for her.

"True. So what do you think? The big grand gesture of coming all the way to London to win your heart. Sounds kind of romantic, don't you think?" Jeremy asked with a hopeful smile. Collette sighed.

"Jeremy, you can't just show up like this and expect me to fall into your arms." Collette said seriously, she did not want to lead him on and had to make herself clear.

"I know, but last time we talked you said you missed me." Jeremy said quietly. Sherlock looked to Collette with a frown.

"Did you? How often do you talk to one another?" He questioned, his stomach twisting at the thought of it.

"Every week or so usually, we agreed to remain friends after it all. And I did say I missed him, but I meant it as a friend and nothing more. It's not a reason to travel all this way." Collette explained as she returned her attention back to Jeremy.

"I understand. I thought it was worth a try, I never gave up on you, you know?" Jeremy said in a soft tone. Collette couldn't help but look at the man infront of her and think how different he was from Sherlock. Jeremy was soft, sweet and sensitive. Sherlock was firm, serious and direct.

"I think maybe you should go, find a hotel and maybe we can talk about this tomorrow after I've had some time to think." Collette said gently, not wanting to hurt the man.

"I don't have much money on me for a hotel, I thought I could stay with you. I spent most of my savings on a return ticket." Jeremy said as he looked down. Collette sighed, that was typical.

"How long are you here for?" Collette asked.

"My flight back is in two weeks." Jeremy said, looking over to Collette with pleading eyes. Sherlock wrinkled his nose in disgust, the man was obviously playing on Collette's former feelings for him.

"Fine, you can stay here. But don't think it means anything more than me doing you a favor." Collette said firmly.

"But we don't have the room." John added in, not sure if it was his place to say anything but remembering how difficult it was when Harry came to stay.

"That doesn't matter. It's not like we haven't shared a bed before." Jeremy said with an almost playful smile. Sherlock felt his blood boil at that point. Collette realised their lack of empty beds and that her couch was too small to accomodate to the tall man.

"Well, you can have my room and I'll take the couch upstairs." Collette decided, not wanting to put the boys out for her decision.

"You really are an angel." Jeremy said with a smile. Sherlock stood up and walked out, it was too much. The next two weeks would destroy him. John gave a polite smile and a 'nice to meet you' before following Sherlock out.

"It'll be fine. It's not like they're sleeping together." John tried to reason as Sherlock slammed his fist into the wall once they were safely back in their own living room.

"No but they have John. They have! And now that idiot's got two weeks in our house to worm his way back into her life!" Sherlock shouted, knowing how illogical he was being.

"Look, we'll just keep an eye on him. Maybe it would be wise to find out why they broke up in the first place, to remind her that they broke up for a reason." John tried to reason, he understood the jealousy that came with meeting a woman's ex. This was more complicated though as Sherlock had likely never dealt with it and was not actually dating Collette. Sherlock sighed and sank down into his armchair. Soon they heard the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. Collette came in dressed, pillows and blanket in her arms.

"Sorry about this guys." Collette said as she went over and dumped her things on the couch.

"It's fine. These things happen." John said, shooting Sherlock a look. Collette came over and flopped into her chair with a sigh.

"It's not though, he's going to be weird around you guys. See you as potential threats or something though, which is just silly." Collette said as she leaned back. Sherlock looked over with a frown.

"And why is it silly to see us as threats?" He asked sharply. Collette smiled over.

"It's not silly because you guys aren't suitable or anything. More because he has no chance of getting back with me." Collette explained, giving Sherlock a reason to relax.

"Where is he now?" John asked cautiously.

"Shower. He came straight here from the airport." Collette replied, thankful for the few minutes of peace.

"So uh, what happened to you two anyway?" John questioned as casually as he could.

"He dumped me." Collette said simply.

"Impossible. Look at him. He'd be a fool to dump you." Sherlock snapped. If Jeremy had broken up with her, it meant that she might be holding onto old feelings for him. Collette smiled as Sherlock's defensive comment.

"We'll need some more details." John said, wondering what Collette could have done.

"Ok, well long story short. He proposed to me and I said no. Not long after he mentioned breaking up and it just kind of happened. I still believe that he hoped breaking up with me would give me the push I needed to agree to marry him. It kind of backfired I guess." Collette explained. Sherlock sat up straight, the man tried to manipulate her into marrying him. It made him sick.

"Why did you refuse to marry him?" Sherlock asked, gaining back his common sense.

"It just felt wrong, you know? I knew it wouldn't work. We just weren't meant for each other, at least that's what it felt like to me." Collette said with a confused look. It was difficult to explain it, Jeremy hadn't done anything to upset her, treated her well and didn't do anything wrong.

"And that is why you know you would not take him back?" Sherlock questioned further, needing reassurance.

"Exactly. It didn't work then so it won't work now." Collette said, easing Sherlock's mind for just a moment.

The afternoon ticked by slowly for Sherlock as Jeremy came up after freshening up. He wasn't sure if he preferred the ex-lovers socialising infront of him or not. They sat on the couch and caught up, which seemed innocent enough. The problem being Jeremy showed no signs of giving up on Collette as he flirted, recalled shared memories and continued to touch her. Sherlock watched them like a hawk and was well aware that Jeremy had noticed this. Part of him wanted them to get out of his sight but his mind argued against him, knowing that Jeremy would likely be more aggressive in his flirting if they were alone.

"Collette, shouldn't you be getting ready for our date?" Sherlock said with a smug sense of arrogance, knowing the question would cause trouble.

"You're dating him?" Jeremy asked immediately, as predicted. Collette laughed.

"No. Every Monday I go to dinner with John and every Thursday I go to dinner with Sherlock. I call them date nights." Collette said with a smile, completely oblivious to the rivalry going on between Sherlock and Jeremy. She was distracted by the fact that the man she used to like, Jeremy, and the man she currently liked, Sherlock, were under the same roof. It was uncomfortable having Jeremy around her and she was also dealing with the fear that he would see her attraction to Sherlock and let it known. Collette was happy with the way things were going between her and Sherlock and did not want to risk damaging that.

"Oh cool, so where are we going? Out for fish and chips?" Jeremy asked with a smirk as he put on a mock English accent for the last question. Sherlock squeezed the arms of his chair.

"He is not coming out with us." Sherlock said in a demanding voice.

"If she's going out then I'm going with her." Jeremy said, showing his own aggressive side. Sherlock looked from Jeremy to Collette and finally to John who was giving his scolding look already.

"I'm going for a walk." Sherlock muttered as he got up and left the flat, unsure where he was going or what he would do. He needed to get out of the situation before saying anything that would hurt Collette.

Collette watched as Sherlock left, frowning as she blamed herself. She remembered how Sherlock first behaved when she moved in and wondered if this was something similar. Sherlock was used to everything the way it was and did not like the change that came with someone else in the house. How difficult would the next two weeks be?

Sherlock returned home late that night, he had walked the streets long enough and convinced himself that this man was no threat to him. Sherlock hung his coat and scarf up before going up to his room. Not bothering to switch the light on as he knew his bedroom like the back of his hand; Sherlock stripped down for bed. He had been known to sleep nude some nights and did not see a reason for pajamas tonight as he would likely stay in his room late into the next morning to avoid the man trying to steal his girl. Sherlock slipped under the covers and froze as he felt a warm body against him. He relaxed a little as he heard the familiar sleepy mumble of Collette.

"You're home." She whispered before yawning loudly. Sherlock shifted beneath the blankets to not have himself so close against her.

"Yes and you're in my bed. Any reason for that?" Sherlock asked stiffly.

"I wanted to wait up for you but your bed is comfy." Collette mumbled as she tried to wake herself up.

"You wanted to wait up for me?" Sherlock questioned further, wondering if he could grab his pajama pants and slip them on without her noticing.

"To apologise. I know it's hard for you to adjust to new people and I'm the reason that Jeremy is here. Plus we didn't get our date. I wanted to check that you were ok..." Collette said as she sat up and stretched out.

"You have nothing to apologise for. And I am perfectly fine." Sherlock said, sounding like a child as he was obviously not fine. Collette sighed and moved closer to hug into him before freezing up.

"Sherlock?" She questioned in a soft voice

"Hmm?" Sherlock responded, relaxing in her arms.

"You're not wearing any pants, are you?" Collette asked.

"No, I am not." Sherlock answered as he felt Collette move away and giggle, causing him to chuckle with her before sliding out of bed and pulling on his pants.

"You should probably wear pjs while we have a house guest." Collette said with a smile.

"Why? This is my home and I'll wear what I like." Sherlock said stubbornly, not wanting to change his ways for that man.

"Well I'm wearing pj shorts. I don't want him getting any ideas." Collette said, normally sleeping without pants.

"Because sleeping in what you find comfortable would give him ideas?" Sherlock questioned, not seeing the logic behind it.

"Yes, actually. Not all men think like you Sherlock, I'd say no one else thinks like you. If you saw me in my underwear, you would find a normal reason for it. If he saw me in my underwear, he would think it means I want sex. He always did." Collette said bitterly. Sherlock shifted uncomfortably at the word 'always' as negative thoughts filled his head and his stomach twisted again.

"So, you received a lot of unwanted attention from him?" Sherlock questioned quietly, jealousy flaring up.

"I wouldn't say unwanted, just inconvenient. Just because I'm getting changed, doesn't mean I need to be groped. Just because I'm having a shower, doesn't mean I need someone to wash my back. Don't get me wrong, sometimes attention is nice but I also need some personal space too. I like to be alone sometimes to just clear my head and relax but he was always very clingy. Sometimes I felt like I was being smothered." Collette explained, thinking that Sherlock would understand. He did of course but also got angry at the thought of Jeremy groping at her. Then a thought came to Sherlock and he could not let it go, looking over in the dark to Collette he found himself asking a question he did not want to know the answer to.

"Jeremy's the only man you've been with, isn't he?" Sherlock asked quietly.

"Yes, he is." Collette replied honestly, not wanting to hide anything from Sherlock. Pain boiled in his stomach.

"He was your first and your last. No wonder he thinks he still has a chance." Sherlock said bitterly, unable to get past the fact that Jeremy had a connection with Collette that Sherlock would never have.

"Oh god, that's true. I just never saw the point of one night stands or anything. What should I do?" Collette asked, knowing that Sherlock was right.

"Don't let him know that he was your last or sleep with another man so he really wasn't your last." Sherlock answered, the only two options.

"But I haven't been in a relationship since him, he knows that because it would be on facebook. And he knows I'm not the sort to have a one night stand, I've always said there's no point to them when you have a good vibrator... um, not that I do have a vibrator." Collette said, blushing deeply.

"Then you'll just have to lie and do try to lie better than that. You should know by now that I've been through your things." Sherlock said with a smile, distracted from his jealousy for just a moment.

"Ok, a lie, I need a lie. Right, take off your pants." Collette said, she would do whatever she had to do to keep Jeremy from trying anything. Sherlock looked over into the darkness, wondering if he had hallucinated.

"You want to..." Sherlock mumbled, not even able to finish the sentence.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to force myself onto you. I just need you naked." Collette said, Sherlock started to piece things together.

"He'll come looking for you in the morning, find us in bed together and his imagination will do the rest?" Sherlock questioned. Even if it was fake, the idea of having Jeremy believe Collette belonged to him was too good to pass up.

"Exactly." Collette said as she carefully removed her clothes beneath the covers. She didn't like the idea of upsetting Jeremy but she had to do something to send a clear sign that she was not interested in him anymore. This said she had moved on loud and clear.


	15. The Case of the Ex pt II

Jeremy sat at the small dining table in the living room of 221B and ate breakfast as he continued to glance over to the couch. Collette's blanket was folded neatly with her pillow on top. He wondered where she had gone so early in the morning. John sighed as he sat across from the visitor who had looked to the couch for possibly the tenth time since starting his toast.

"She probably just went out for a run. She does that sometimes when she gets up early." John said as he sipped his tea.

"Collette was never a morning person." Jeremy replied as he looked down to his coffee.

"When I say early, I mean before ten. Her and Sherlock are both bad for sleeping in. But then sometimes Sherlock doesn't sleep at all..." John explained, hoping Collette hadn't left early and dumped her ex on him for the day.

"Sherlock's still not up?" Mrs Hudson asked as she came in with her cleaning supplies, determined to clean their kitchen so the new boy didn't think they all lived like animals.

"Not yet, ma'm." Jeremy replied politely, making Mrs Hudson gush. John rolled his eyes and started on his eggs.

"I'll go wake him then, he needs to clear that head out of the fridge." She said with a smile before heading off to Sherlock's room. Jeremy looked over to John.

"A head?" Jeremy asked, confused.

"Take a look." John said, waiting for Jeremy to go into the kitchen. He smirked a little wickedly as he heard the shout of disgust and horror from the innocent man before hearing the fridge door slam shut.

"Sherlock!" The shout of Mrs Hudson from the bedroom soon followed and caught both the boy's attention as they ran to see what had happened.

Sherlock opened his eyes to the sounds of Mrs Hudson shouting, why was she shouting? It was too early and he was so comfortable. A sweet, familiar smell filled his nostrils; forcing him to open his eyes to see a messy mop of short brown hair. Sherlock smiled to himself as Collette rolled onto her back and looked over to him. She seemed to be fighting as much as Sherlock was to wake up.

"Morning." He said in a low voice.

"Morning, I think Mrs Hudson wants you for something. Oh, and they aren't stress balls." Collette mumbled out while stifling a yawn. Sherlock wondered what she meant until he realised that he did in fact have a firm grip on her chest. He chuckled and moved to his other side to see Mrs Hudson watching them.

"Good morning Mrs Hudson, how about some tea?" Sherlock said, acting as if there was nothing unusual going on.

"Sherlock, you horrible boy! Taking advantage of Collette like that!" Mrs Hudson scolded and proceeded to hit Sherlock with her dust cloth.

"I assure you, there was no 'taking advantage' Mrs Hudson. Perhaps you could put that thing down? Collette, you may want to offer some assistance here." Sherlock said as he turned to see Collette with an amused smile plastered on her face.

"Oh alright. Mrs Hudson, Sherlock did not take advantage of me. Um, this is mutual." Collette said as she sat up, keeping herself covered with the blanket. Mrs Hudson stopped her assault and took a moment to process it before smiling.

"Oh how cute, you two will make such a good couple!" Mrs Hudson said excitedly while clapping her hands together. At this point the boys stood in the doorway and looked in to see what was going on. John's look was one of surprise but also curiousity. Jeremy's look was one of pure hatred and anger aimed directly at Sherlock. Sherlock found himself smirking back at the man as a sense of arrogance, provoking him more.

"If you all don't mind, I'd like to go back to sleep." Sherlock as he rolled back over with a smile on his face.

That night would prove to be most uncomfortable for John as he had to act as a buffer between the two men. Collette had gone off to work and that left Jeremy sitting in their living room, exchanging dirty looks with Sherlock. John sighed as he knew the entire weekend would be the same. Then it happened, John would later go on to refer to it as the breaking point in his blog.

"She won't stay with you forever, you know." Jeremy said in a dangerously low tone. Sherlock looked over with a smug smile.

"Go on then, enlighten me. Why not?" Sherlock challenged.

"Don't start this." John warned, knowing how quickly two men could lose control when a woman was involved.

"It's obvious really. Collette may be open minded but she's not unstable enough to stay with a man like you. You keep body parts in the fridge, you obsess over murder, you can't even get along with people. You're a freak and one day, maybe not tomorrow or anyday soon but someday; something will happen and Collette will realise just how damaged you are." Jeremy said with hatred for the consulting detective. Sherlock looked to the side dismissively, refusing to admit that there was anything wrong with him.

"How about we head down to the pub for a drink?" John suggested, trying to diffuse the situation.

"I don't drink." Jeremy replied, holding back his anger.

"Of course you don't." John said more to himself as he leaned back in his chair.

"I just hope she leaves you before it's too late. One day you might decide you want a live subject for your experiments." Jeremy said. John was briefly reminded of a similar warning he had been given from Sally Donovan. Sherlock looked back over with a smirk on his face, John knew that look meant trouble.

"I can assure you, Jeremy. The only experiments I perform on Collette are done between the sheets!" Sherlock said with great confidence, knowing exactly how to set the man off. And that was it, John saw it all in slow motion. Jeremy launched himself at Sherlock, his fist colliding with Sherlock's jaw. John was about to step in when he saw Sherlock move to return the punch. John deicded to wait just a moment, letting Sherlock take action before he broke the two up.

Collette returned home after work, her first step was down to her flat to remove her shoes and get comfortable. Entering the quiet flat, she discovered Jeremy on the couch nursing what would soon develop into a black eye.

"What happened?!" Collette shouted as she moved over to Jeremy and carefully checked his eye.

"Your freak boyfriend, that's what." Jeremy said in anger, holding an ice pack to his eye.

"Sherlock hit you? Why would he do that?" Collette questioned, knowing it would have had to be provoked.

"He said some line about what he does to you in bed so I punched him." Jeremy said, feeling it was completely justified.

"Sherlock's hurt?" Collette questioned, not waiting for an answer as she rushed up to check on him.

"It'll be fine really. Can't say I didn't see this coming." John commented as he checked over Sherlock's split lip.

"What did she ever see in that man?" Sherlock questioned bitterly, ignoring the mild stinging that came with moving his mouth.

"He obviously gave her something that she needed." John replied, wondering if he should go check on Jeremy. Thundering footsteps came up the stairs, John briefly wondered if Jeremy was coming back for round two until he saw Collette appear in the doorway.

"Sherlock, are you alright?" She said, quickily walking over to Sherlock and gently touching the red mark left on his jaw.

"Nothing I haven't handled before." Sherlock said with a reassuring smile.

"I'll ask him to leave in the morning. It's not worth the trouble." Collette said with a frown, she should have sent him away in the first place.

"No need, I'll go tonight." Came the voice of Jeremy as he stood in the doorway to the living room.

"I thought you said you couldn't afford a hotel?" Collette questioned as she looked over to him. Sherlock made a point of taking Collette's hand to rub in his victory further.

"I just said that so you'd let me stay. I'm obviously not going to win you back now. The second you knew _he _was hurt you abandoned me to run up here." Jeremy said bitterly before turning around to go pack. Collette felt slightly embarassed that she had ran to Sherlock's side so easily.

"I should go help him..." Collette said quietly, giving Sherlock one last look before going down to help Jeremy pack and to say goodbye. Sherlock found himself smiling, he had won.

"Try not to look too happy about the fact that you just ruined whatever friendship those two still had." John scolded. Nothing he could say would bring Sherlock down, he had got rid of that man and returned things to the way they were. Sherlock felt that he had ever grown slightly closer to Collette in the process. An hour later saw Collette sitting in her armchair with the boys, feeling guilty but happy that things were back to normal.

Jeremy walked into a nearby pub and took a seat at the bar, his large bag down by his feet. He did not drink usually but after everything he had been through, decided that a beer was exactly what he needed. Soon after he placed his order, a friendly looking man in an expensive suit walked in and gave him a smile.

"Mind if I sit?" The man asked in a soft tone.

"It's a free country." Jeremy replied, not paying too much attention to the man beside him.

"Looks like you've had a rough night." The man said, ordering himself a drink.

"You have no idea." Jeremy sighed, feeling sorry for himself.

"I could use a good story, how about I pay for your drink and you tell me all about it." The man offered. Jeremy didn't suspect a thing as he agreed and began his story. The man smiled darkly to himself as everything fell into place; he had promised that he would burn the heart out of Sherlock. He now knew exactly how he would do that.

**Author's note: Guess who's coming to play! As always, thanks so much for the support and please continue to keep those reviews coming. I was given a few good ideas to use in this story, if you have anymore please let me know.**


	16. Head Games

Collette hung up her thick coat in the small back room of the pub as she got ready for her Friday night shift. Sherlock and John were currently working on an important case, something Mycroft had roped them into, and had been out of the house all day. Collette knew that the boys would be busy all weekend with it as well, which made things worse. While Collette was not an overly social person, she did get bored when left alone for too long and knew that this weekend would be rather dull. Even Molly was working all weekend. Collette sighed, she really needed to make more friends.

"Collette, there you are." Steven, her manager, said when Collette came out to work behind the bar.

"Evening sir, have we been busy tonight?" Collette questioned with a smile, wondering if she could pick up an extra shift as she had no plans for the weekend.

"Not too busy, but we've got a new bloke on tonight. Show him the ropes won't ya?" Steven said in his gruff voice as he went to check on the restaurant side of the pub. Collette walked over to the man cleaning glasses.

"I'm Collette, we'll be working together. Um, Steven never told me your name." Collette said softly. The man turned to her and smiled warmly. Average height, brown hair and brown eyes, Collette guessed him to be in his early thirties.

"Hi, name's Jimmy. Your accent, you're Australian aren't you?" The man said in a polite and friendly tone.

"That's right. Now if you need any help, don't be afraid to ask." Collette said before going over to serve a customer. Moriarty smiled to himself, it would be so easy to get close to this girl.

The night flew by and went much better than Collette expected, Jimmy was friendly and had an odd sense of humor which she liked, they talked about a lot between customers. Jimmy had recently moved to London after being dumped by his boyfriend, he knew no one but hoped to meet new friends through his job. By the end of the night they had exchanged phone numbers with Collette's offer to show him around if he ever needed it.

Moriarty watched from the street, putting on a playful little wave as Collette left for home in a cab. He had been torn about which game to play; the perfect man to win Collette's heart, stealing her away from Sherlock or the best friend in which she shares everything with. Women trusted gay men so easily, it was impossible to resist for Moriarty. As a gay man he could easily befriend her, gain her trust and offer a friendly ear whenever Sherlock became too much to handle. He and Sherlock were both complex men and often misunderstood. It was only a matter of time before Collette started venting her frustrations to 'Jimmy'. And when he got bored with the gossip, he would strike. He would use all those terrible things about Sherlock that she could not stand as ammo to destroy him. Afterall, Collette was just weighing Sherlock down. He could not see why Sherlock had given his heart to Collette, she was nothing special, but he would make sure that Sherlock would never be able to love again.

Collette walked into the door of 221B and C, she took off her coat and sat her bag down before going up to check on her boys. Tonight had been a good night. She had made a new friend and had been greeted home by the smell of John's scrambled eggs, something he resorted to when there was little else in the fridge.

"Ah, Collette. Just in time for a late dinner." Sherlock looked over with a smile, the type that said he was as happy to see her as much as she was happy to see him after a long day. Collette walked over and sat in her chair beside his.

"Scrambled eggs and slightly old bread?" Collette asked, casually putting her feet up in Sherlock's lap.

"Yes, John's five star meal." Sherlock replied with dry wit, sharing a chuckle with Collette.

"I'll tell him later that he can always take food from my fridge. And no, you cannot store anything in it. How's the case going?" Collette asked with a yawn as Sherlock proceeded to remove her shoes and rub her feet with expert hands. It was easier to do it straight away, as her feet in his lap signalled she wanted a foot rub and would likely whine if he didn't respond.

"It would go a lot better if we could locate the victim's head." Sherlock said, sounding disappointed.

"Don't murderers sometimes take things like the head for a trophy?" Collette questioned, recalling the little knowledge she had seen on movies and television.

"Exactly. We find the head and we'll have found our killer. I'd still like to understand the motive behind it." Sherlock replied, gently placing pressure as he massaged, causing Collette to give a groan of approval. Sherlock smirked to himself, making a mental note about finding another of Collette's sweet spots. He found it fascinating; the night they had slept together naked, Sherlock had kept a hand on her breast while he slept and got little reaction but touch Collette's hands or feet the right way and she melted like butter beneath his fingertips.

"So I'm guessing you two will be head hunting all day tomorrow too?" Collette asked, relaxing as her sore feet got some much needed attention. Working at the pub required hours of standing up and so sore feet came with the job description.

"It's highly likely, yes." Sherlock replied, focusing on his task at hand.

"Maybe I could have a day in, baking and a creepy movie marathon." Collette said more to herself. She knew that what Sherlock and John did was important and did not want to distract from that.

"Maybe you'd like to join us? A third set of eyes could be useful." Sherlock offered, while he loved a good murder he did miss seeing Collette as much as he normally did. Collette smiled over to him.

"As impressive as it is to see you work, I think I'd only get in the way. I think the most I can offer you is some luck." Collette said with a playful look. Sherlock sighed loudly, not picking up her meaning.

"I do not need luck, I have science on my side." Sherlock replied, wondering why people turned to luck in times when skills were needed.

"Oh well. Maybe John would like a good luck kiss?" Collette asked with a smirk as she watched Sherlock understand her meaning.

"Perhaps it would be alright if I test your theory of the good luck kiss." Sherlock said seriously as he sat Collette's feet down with gentle care and leaned closer.

"Well, if it's for science." Collette said, leaning closer. She could feel herself getting nervous, she had only meant to tease but somehow was nearing a proper kiss. Their two kisses before could be reasoned, the mistletoe and a New year's kiss. For Sherlock to kiss her now would mean he wanted to kiss her and was not just following social convention.

"Dinner's on." John said as he entered the room, quickly realising he had walked in on something. Collette found herself getting too embarassed and so kissed Sherlock's cheek before giving him a soft smile.

"I'll go get us something to drink. I'm sure you're out of everything up here." Collette said quickly and before she knew it she was out the door and down the stairs to her flat. Sherlock looked over to John with supressed rage.

"Timing, John." Sherlock muttered over, knowing that he could not get that moment back.

"Sorry, sorry! It's a good sign at least. She was pretty close to snogging you and that says a lot. I mean you're usually pretty unpleasant so she must really like you." John said as he brought the plates out to the table. Sherlock found that he could not argue with John's observation. Most people hated Sherlock and yet he had found himself close to receiving a kiss, for no real reason, just because she had wanted to. For now, that was enough to settle him.

Dinner that night was a little uncomfortable, leaving John to turn the tv on to give them something to do as no one wanted to talk much. The almost-kiss was something that both Sherlock and Collette avoided mentioning again.

Collette woke around ten and got herself showered and dressed, finding she had a day to fill as she did not work that night. The boys had already left by the time she got up as well, which left Collette a little lonely. Collette had even considered calling Mycroft for tea when she heard her phone beep.

_"Much on for the day? - J"_ The message read, Collette smiled and found it interesting that Jimmy and Sherlock both signed their messages off in similar ways.

_"No plans yet." _Collette replied, hoping the new man in her life could offer something to do.

_"Want to meet me at the movies? - J"_ Collette smiled and got her things together, soon finding herself sitting in a cinema and watching the latest horror movie with Jimmy. A movie outing moved on to some shopping and ended up at Jimmy's flat as he cooked dinner for the two of them. Collette sipped her glass of wine and looked around the well decorated living room.

"You've got a nice place." Collette said casually as she went through Jimmy's dvd collection.

"Yeah, thanks. It still doesn't seem like much of a home yet though, you know?" He replied, playing his part all too well as he dished up a simple meal of cottage pie.

"It will take a while. It took me to settle in when I first came here." Collette said, making a mental note of a few of his movies that she wanted to watch. She was completely unaware of how dangerous the man she would soon be dining with was.

"Do you live on your own then?" He asked, setting the bait. He had purposely avoided personal questions until now, giving her time to get used to him.

"No, there's my flat and then above that is Mrs Hudson, my landlady and the flat above her belongs to two men; John and Sherlock." Collette explained.

"Gay couple?" Jimmy asked as he came over to set two plates down at the small table. Collette laughed.

"No, though sometimes they fight like an old married couple." Collette answered, drinking down her wine.

"Ooh, two straight men. It must be hell to have them so close. Loud music and bringing girls home." He replied. Collette moved over to the table to join him.

"Nothing like that actually. They're kind of perfect in a crazy way. I wouldn't change them for the world." Collette said honestly. Jim smiled over as he watched her eat.

"Sounds like you really like them, either of them take your fancy?" He asked, sounding like a typical nosy new friend. Collette blushed and looked to her plate, in that moment he had her.

"Kind of. It's pretty complicated, he's not exactly like other men... but I think that's part of the reason why I like him." Collette found herself admitting, she had actually opened up about her feelings to anyone and doing so was forcing her to think about how she felt.

"Oh? Do tell girl." Jim said in an interested tone, smiling wickedly.

"Sherlock, he's truly one of a kind. He's really just... well you'd have to meet him to understand. He's a consulting detective for Scotland Yard, he solves crimes and his mind works in amazing ways but then he'll go and forget to eat. It's just... living with him is an adventure in itself." Collette explained with a smile. Jim pulled a face.

"Consulting detective? Sounds pretty weird to me. And aren't you afraid of getting caught up in his crime fighting? It could be dangerous, I'd imagine." Jim said, hoping for her to spill any little annoyances she had to face.

"It is weird, but I love it. I love never knowing what I will find in his fridge or being woken in the middle of the night to answer some obscene question. And I don't think I'd be in danger with him and if I ever was in danger, I have faith in him to see me out of it safely." Collette said genuinely. This didn't make Moriarty happy at all, he wanted hatred and rejection. Sherlock wasn't normal, people didn't love men like them. Still, he bit his tongue and continued to question gently. An hour passed and Moriarty had taken all he could, with a friendly smile he took Collette's wine glass and went to the kitchen.

Collette smiled to herself as she sat on the couch in Jimmy's flat and watched some tv. He seemed fascinated with her relationship with Sherlock but it did not surprise her, many people were fascinated by Sherlock. Having had the time to think about her feelings, she found herself knowing that this was more than a crush. Sherlock was the strangest man she had ever met and she knew that worked perfectly for her.

"Drink up." Jimmy said with a smile and offered her a full glass.

"Alright but this is my last one and then I have to go, the boys will start to wonder where I am." Collette smiled and started on the fresh glass of wine, unaware of the extra substance that had been slipped into her drink.


	17. Head Games pt II

Sherlock sat in his chair, casually checking his watch from time to time. She wasn't home for dinner and she had missed her favorite tv show that he had planned to watch with her. Sherlock groaned, he had come home from their case early and was prepared to watch a horribly inaccurate period drama for her and she couldn't even show up for it.

"She's probably out with a friend, Sherlock. It is a Saturday night, most people go out, it's normal." John sighed, just thankful to have a break from all their running around.

"When does she ever go out on weekends without us, John? Something is wrong." Sherlock mumbled, sending a third text to her phone to ask where she was. He had yet to get a reply.

"Why are you so paranoid? So she's gone out without us. It's no big deal." John replied, his patience for Sherlock wearing thin over the subject. They both looked as Sherlock's phone began to play Kesha's Blah Blah Blah, the custom ringtone for Collette. She had set it one day as a joke and had made a point of calling Sherlock everytime he started going off onto one of his rants that no one else understood.

"Collette always texts." Sherlock commented before answering the phone.

"You know, if a girl doesn't reply to your messages; it's generally a sign that she's not interested." Sherlock froze at the voice on the other end of the phone; Moriarty.

"What have you done to her?" Sherlock asked in a dangerous tone, only causing Moriarty to laugh.

"Oh she's just fine, for now. You see, I really hate when people don't play my games. All she had to do was give me what I wanted but she didn't and that's too bad. I suppose it says a lot though, doesn't it? She's oh so loyal to you, quite cute really. Maybe I should keep her for myself?" Moriarty said as he looked over to Collette, currently heavily drugged and attempting to sit up from the couch.

"If you hurt her-" Sherlock started in a growl, playing right into Moriarty's hands.

"I won't hurt her, all you have to do is find her in time." Moriarty said as he slapped Collette back down loud enough for Sherlock to hear. Sherlock held back his emotions, knowing this was just a game to Moriarty and if he followed along it would be ok.

"Where do we start?" Sherlock asked in a low, restrained voice.

"We have already started, time is ticking." Moriarty said before hanging up. Sherlock's mind went into overdrive, Collette's safety was in the balance.

Moriarty looked down to the vulnerable Collette and smiled wickedly as he stroked a gentle hand over the same cheek he had slapped. Collette looked up, everything was groggy and her surroundings were moving. She was painfully aware that she was in great danger but that she was also quite useless.

"You know, I'm starting to understand his attachment to you. You're strange, not like us, but enough to not do what is expected of all the other idiots out there. You've still got a chance though, you're not completely stupid, tell me everything I want to know and you'll walk away from all this." Moriarty whispered in a gentle voice. Collette looked up to him, not completely able to focus.

"I tell you... I tell you what you want... and you'll still kill me. To punish him. I won't. Can't hurt him." Collette mumbled out as clearly as she could.

"Such a pity. I guess the game is over for you, sweetheart." Moriarty whispered with a sick smile on his face.

Sherlock looked around Collette's appartment, his mind fulled focused on the case.

"There's nothing here!" Sherlock shouted in anger as he pushed over her coffee table in anger.

"Sherlock." John said, trying to calm the detective down.

"How, how did he get to her? There's no sign of force anywhere in the house." Sherlock started, going through all the possible ways Morairty could take Collette.

"Sherlock, listen." John said, being dismissed again as Sherlock's mind was occupied.

"Her work, I'll call the pub. Ask Steven if she's talked to anyone new recently." Sherlock said, taking his phone out of his pocket to enquire. John sighed and walked up the stairs to do his own detective work.

Sherlock soon ran up the stairs after a quick phone call, putting on the disguise of being Collette's boyfriend and wondering if she had gone in for a shift. Soon he was able to get everything he wanted as Steven admitted she had trained a new bloke 'Jimmy' who had not turned up for his shift that night.

"John, he went undercover as a coworker. Collette's manager is going to text through his address, it may not be his actual address but it's a lead, let's go!" Sherlock ordered, John looked over and smiled.

"I found her." John said as he sat at his laptop. Sherlock raised an eyebrow and came over.

"How?" Sherlock questioned.

"When Collette read my blog on 'A Study in Pink' and thought the woman using the GPS in her phone was clever, she activated the GPS in her own phone." John explained, writing down the details.

"How did you guess the password for her account though?" Sherlock questioned.

"She gave me the password when she first set it up, just incase." John said with a smile and got up, handing the written details over to Sherlock who smiled to himself.

"Good girl." Sherlock mumbled before running off with John to find her.

Thirty minutes later saw John and Sherlock getting out of a cab and running over to where the GPS had located Collette's phone. An alleyway located a few blocks from the address Steven had text to Sherlock. John and Sherlock looked around frantically for any signs of Collette. Sherlock stopped when a familiar purple phone cover caught his eye, bending down to pick it up he knew that it had been a false lead. Moriarty must have known about the GPS.

"Hello little bunnies, I believe you've come down the wrong hole. Your juicy little carrot is else where." Came the unstable voice of Jim Moriarty. Sherlock and John looked to see the man's figure at the end of the alley.

"Where is she?!" Sherlock shouted, holding tight to her phone as John pulled out his gun.

"Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn't aim that thing at me, unless you'd like to find her dead." Moriarty said with confidence, he was always one step ahead of the detective and the blogger.

"Where is she?!" Sherlock repeated with anger, taking a step closer until he saw a detonator in Moriarty's hand.

"It's such a shame, she was a cutie. But she is going to have to go, she's too much of a distraction to you. I did say I would burn your heart and I am a man of my word. She's going to go up in flames. I hope you take comfort in knowing that she was devoted to you until the end." Moriarty said in a playful tone, taking great pleasure in seeing Sherlock emotional.

"Where is she?" Sherlock asked for the third and last time, his voice breaking in the process.

"Oh don't look like that, it's pathetic. I'm going to give you a chance, to show that I'm a fair man. I want you to fight to the very end and then watch her burn. You have two minutes, good luck." Moriarty said before pushing the button to set off the timed bomb. Sherlock knew immediately that the address he was sent would be where he would find Collette. It would take a few minutes to get there on foot, which is what Moriarty wanted. And so Sherlock ran, like his own life depended on it. John ran after him, slower than Sherlock and unaware of where they were going.

Sherlock froze as he heard a loud bang and saw smoke from the explosion in the sky, he was too late. His legs seemed to cave in beneath him as John took hold of him and helped the detective to the flat. The building had collapsed in on itself and was still burning. The two men stood and watched as sirens sounded through the streets. They both remained silent, neither having anything useful to say in that moment. John kept a firm hold of Sherlock even though he was now able to stand on his own.

Soon Lestrade was on the scene and took down what had happened as firemen put out the fire and searched through the wreckage. John did the talking as Sherlock had shut down on himself. He had done this to her.

"Listen, we'll keep it quiet when we find the body. He doesn't need to see it." Lestrade said to John in a hushed tone. John sighed and looked over to his friend.

"I think it might be better if he does, to say goodbye, you know?" John said, not sure which would be better for Sherlock.

Then they saw it, Sherlock was the first to see and for the second time that night; his heart broke. One of the firemen came out from the lane behind the now destroyed flat, a semi-conscious Collette in his arms. Both men ran over to the man as Lestrade followed after them.

"She was passed out in the lane back behind the flat. Bit roughed up but she'll be alright." The man explained as Sherlock looked her over with great detail. She had hit her head hard on the concrete and had small cuts and bruises over her exposed skin from the debris but she was alive. Alive and perfect. Collette looked up to the surrounding faces with a soft smile.

"How did you get out?" John asked with a look of pure relief on his face. Collette coughed a little to clear her throat.

"After he left I knew I had to get out. I stumbled and crawled a bit but got to the back door. Didn't get much further then that..." Collette said in a gruff voice, her head was not fully clear and talking felt difficult. Sherlock placed a warm hand on her cheek, causing her to look up to him with half lidded eyes.

"Good girl." Sherlock whispered for lack of better words. Collette smiled.

"Had to do it. You'd starve without me." Collette mumbled, causing both men to laugh. The man passed her over to Sherlock who held her close. Knowing she was safe, Collette fell in an exhausted sleep; the smell of Sherlock soothing her into dreamland.

Collette woke the next morning in a familiar bed that was not her own. She still felt groggy from whatever drug had been in her system but forced herself up with a much clearer head. It was Sherlock's bed. She also noted that she was clean and in a tshirt, someone had bathed her. Normally she'd feel embarassed or violated but given the circumstances Collette was just happy to feel fresh.

"You're up." Came the warm voice of Sherlock, causing her to look over to the doorway where the man himself was casually leaning.

"I'm up." Collette replied weakly as she recalled the events from last night.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." Sherlock ordered as he came over and sat on the bed. Collette smiled and gave an obedient nod.

"No new friends unless they've been approved by you. I have learnt my lesson." Collette smiled as she gently placed her head against Sherlock's shoulder.

"Do you need to talk about it?" Sherlock asked for good measure, not knowing what advice he would give.

"No." Collette answered, simply choosing to accept what had happened and to move on.

"Good." Sherlock replied, causing Collette to chuckle against him.

"If I need to talk about my feelings I'll go to John." Collette reassured as Sherlock slipped an arm around her.

"Thank you." Sherlock whispered after a comfortable silence.

"For what?" Collette questioned as she looked up to the man, seeing that he had likely not slept much or at all the night before.

"For always defying my deductions." Sherlock answered, truly happy that he had got her death wrong. Collette smiled and gave a playful shrug.

"I like keeping you guessing." Collette replied before leaning in dangerously close, placing a playful kiss on the end of Sherlock's nose and flopping back onto the bed unceremoniously to sleep.


	18. Doctor, Doctor!

"Seriously Sherlock, just take them already." John said frustratedly. Sherlock looked to the side and huffed.

"Mm, no." He replied, more stubborn than a child. John sighed and sat down in his chair, happy to let the detective suffer if he refused to listen to reason.

"Ok, here we go. I had to look all over for this." Collette announced as she came in and sat an oil burner on the coffee table.

"What's that for?" Sherlock asked in a nasal voice before coughing out.

"To burn some eucalyptus oil, it'll help with your congestion." Collette answered as she lit the burner and came over to check his forehead with her hand.

"John keeps insisting on shoving those giant horse pills down my throat." Sherlock whined, he was worse than usual with a cold effecting him.

"You feel so warm. And the vitamins are good for you Sherlock, please take them. For me?" Collette asked, pulling a face that Sherlock could not resist. Sherlock sighed dramatically.

"Fine but only if you make me some more of that soup." Sherlock answered and took the large, unpleasant tasting vitamins.

"While you're at it, make him drink his water. He seems to think he's immune to dehydration." John replied from behind his paper. One more look from Collette and the glass of water was empty.

"That's my boy." Collette said with a smile and placed a gentle kiss to Sherlock's forehead.

"Change the channel too, this news program is dull." Sherlock ordered. Collette sighed and took the remote that sat directly beside Sherlock to change the channel for him before going into the kitchen to start on some soup. John followed her in with an amused smile.

"He'll never want to get better if you keep babying him like that." John said in a hushed tone.

"Everyone is entitled to a little spoiling when they're sick, John. Next time you're sick I'll treat you the same way." Collette replied and looked through the fridge, pulling a face as she found a human finger in the tub of butter.

"Yeah I bet." John said to himself with a chuckle. Collette looked up from the fridge.

"And what does that mean?" Collette questioned, raising an eyebrow at the remark.

"I'm just saying, maybe you like looking after Sherlock more than other people. I mean you do go out of your way to make sure he eats even when he is well." John answered, trying to find out how Collette feels about Sherlock.

"If I didn't, he wouldn't eat." Collette said defensively as she started on a shopping list.

"He managed before you moved in." John commented, making his own deductions as Collette seemed highly uncomfortable with the idea of Sherlock not needing her.

"He wasn't managing too well if he'd go days without a proper meal..." Collette replied, looking down to her notepad. John smiled and placed a hand on Collette's shoulder.

"Don't worry, he needs you; probably as much as you need him. _That_ night, he didn't sleep at all. He just paced the flat, checking on you every few minutes. I think in the time we both thought you were dead; he realised just how important you were to him." John said reassuringly. Collette smiled over to John.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Collette asked, it had been a few weeks since that incident.

"He told me not to. I don't think he wanted to appear weak in your eyes. He still blames himself for Moriarty getting to you." John said seriously.

"He told you not to and yet you still told." Collette commented, feeling highly important to have Sherlock care so much.

"Well you know, I don't always do what Sherlock tells me." John said with a smile and a playful nudge. Collette laughed and walked out to the living room to give Sherlock a kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Sherlock asked with a sniffle.

"Just because. Now I've got to go pick some things up for the soup, I'll be back." Collette said with a smile and gently pushed Sherlock's hair back; a sign of affection she occasionally bestowed on him.

"Stay." Sherlock said as he took Collette's hand, looking like a kicked puppy with his red nose and watery eyes. Collette sighed and looked to John.

"Oh alright, I'll go." John gave in, taking the shopping list and heading on his way. Collette smiled down to Sherlock.

"Well, we've got the whole house to ourselves, you know what that means." She said with a playful smile, Sherlock coughed and looked confused.

"Cluedo?" He asked, a taboo subject infront of John. Collette chuckled.

"No, chest rub." Collette answered and grabbed the small tub, much to Sherlock's dismay.

"You're trying to kill me." Sherlock complained as Collette pushed his grey tshirt up.

"No, if I were trying to do that I would make it much more interesting for you." Collette replied as she rubbed a small dab of the gel into his chest. Sherlock closed his eyes, his mind refusing to function properly for him.

"How very considerate of you." Sherlock replied, not minding so much as Collette massaged the gel into his chest slowly.

"Wouldn't want to bore you to death." Collette smirked at her little pun, earning herself an amused smile from Sherlock. She finished rubbing in the gel and took a seat in her armchair. "What are we watching, then?" She questioned.

"A tasteless soap with no real plot. From what I've seen, this man is trying to have his son marry the woman he once had an affair with. Keeping her in the family, I suppose." Sherlock answered, swearing he didn't understand how people could enjoy such trash.

"Ah, of course. My dad loves these shows." Collette commented as she sat back to relax, earning a look from Sherlock. She didn't talk about her parents much.

"Why?" Sherlock questioned, not wanting to push for too much information.

"Dad had to retire earlier than he wanted due to his health. Around that time he wasn't allowed to do much so he got stuck watching daytime tv. I suppose after a while he just got used to it." Collette explained a little as she watched the show. Sherlock did not question any further, knowing he would find everything out one day.

John returned home after the tedious task of grocery shopping, why did the world need so many types of carrots? What was the difference between the bargain brand peppercorns and the expensive brand? Why did he always get forced into using the self-serve checkout whenever he went shopping? Those were questions he would likely never know the answer to. With a soft sigh, John stepped into the living room and found himself smiling. Collette's chair was pressed up against Sherlock's chair and the world's greatest (and only) consulting detective was sound asleep with his head on Collette's shoulder. Upon his entrance, Collette looked over and gave a look asking for help.

"John, please. I don't know if it's drool or snot but something wet is coming out of him and onto me." Collette said, unable to move her head due to the position of Sherlock's. John smiled and sat his shopping down before coming over, not about to tell her that a mixture of both fluids were coming from Sherlock. He grabbed the nearby tissues and carefully cleaned the mess, avoiding touching Collette's chest.

"Come on mate, time for bed." John said gently as he guided a half asleep Sherlock to his bed.

"Stop treating me like a child, John." Sherlock mumbled as he fell onto the covers. John sighed and pulled the blankets back to tuck him in.

"How did you ever manage without us?" John asked, not expecting an answer.

"Can't need something you never had." Sherlock replied into his pillow, causing John to pause and look for a moment.

It was true, John didn't believe that Sherlock had many or any real friends before him. It was one of those rare moments that sometimes came for John, when he realised for all Sherlock's brilliance; there was still so much he didn't understand. The man was in his early thirties and only now had friends that accepted him? It was hard to believe but it may have explained a lot about him. Sherlock didn't know when to apologise, didn't hold back his opinions and often didn't consider the feelings of others. Sherlock had never learned how to treat his friends because he never had any before. John looked down to the sleeping Sherlock and let out a sigh before going out to check on Collette.

Collette stood in the kitchen, maneuvering around the various lab equipment that Sherlock refused to put away as she prepared the chicken soup. John came out after a while with a look on his face that told her the man was deep in thought.

"Something wrong?" Collette asked, dicing vegetables in the process.

"What do you think it was like for him, growing up alone with his _issues_." John said for lack of better words, he and Collette were not really sure what to call it besides 'Sherlock Syndrome'.

"Well, I'd imagine he relied a lot on his imagination. His mind is so active that he had to of developed coping mechanisms. It's probably why he became obsessed with crime so early because it's something extreme enough to occupy him. Being alone isn't hard when you're occupied." Collette said thoughtfully. John leaned up against a counter and watched Collette cooking for a while.

"I just can't imagine it. I was alone after the war but even I had friends growing up." John mused to himself.

"You know, we should find out when his birthday is and throw him a party. I bet he's never even had one." Collette suggested, guessing his family wasn't the kind to celebrate birthdays either based on what she knew about Mycroft. John looked over for a moment before swearing to himself.

"It was January 6th... last month." John confessed, realising they had done nothing at all for his birthday. Sherlock hadn't even mentioned it. Collette frowned to herself, knowing she'd be heartbroken if her birthday had been forgotten.

"Oh god, we've got to fix it. I've got to make a massive cake and you've got to buy him socks." Collette said in a panic.

"Socks?" John questioned with a raised brow.

"All men get those gifts on their birthday or Christmas. You pick; socks, underwear or handkerchiefs." Collette said, making another list of groceries.

"I'm not buying him underwear. Sherlock is sick, I don't think he'll want cake." John said gentle, knowing Collette enjoyed baking.

"Fine... well what should we do?" Collette asked as she looked over.

"As we've missed this year's birthday maybe we should just go with something simple and next year we'll give him a big party?" John suggested, guessing a party wouldn't be the same a month late.

"Ok, next year we will do a murder mystery party. We'll make it really bloody and twisted." Collette decided, thinking it would be something Sherlock would enjoy. John laughed, guessing it would end badly but still be fun to try.

"Alright. We'll even get a few cow's hearts to toss around." John replied, Collette had taken to making a new list; this one containing guests, gory food ideas and a list of items to get from the butcher's.

Sherlock woke a few hours later in his bed and groaned, he was feeling better but still very stuffy. Wrapping his sheet around him, Sherlock made his way out to the living room to see Collette and John enjoying his chicken soup. Sherlock groaned a little to announce himself as the pair looked over.

"Feeling better?" John asked, knowing the vitamins would have helped.

"My head is clear but my nose won't stop. All the advancements of modern medicine and I'm stuck here like this." Sherlock whined and shuffled over to his chair. Collette was already up, dishing him up some soup.

"Everyone's got to suffer through it." John said simply.

"I also live with a doctor." Sherlock pointed out, blaming the world for his current predicament.

"Anyway. Collette and I were talking and we realised that we missed your birthday." John said cautiously. Collette returned with a bowl of soup and kneeled down to feed the detective as his hands were contrained by the sheet.

"To be fair, I didn't know when your birthday was. But I still feel guilty. Open." Collette said, feeding Sherlock carefully, earning a bemused groan from John.

"He is perfectly capable of feeding himself!" John snapped. Sherlock looked pleased with himself to be receiving such treatment. Collette never normally catered to his excessive demands.

"You were saying about my birthday?" Sherlock asked, returning to the prior topic.

"Right, well we just wanted to say that we're sorry and happy belated birthday." John said, already frustrated with Sherlock.

"Yeah, so if there's anything you want; just ask." Collette said as she continued to feed Sherlock. Sherlock thought for a long moment before smiling to himself.

"I would like some green tea." Sherlock said simply, earning a look from both John and Collette.

"Green tea?" John questioned.

"Yes, John please won't you run to the store and fetch me some green tea?" Sherlock asked as he looked to the good doctor. Using his manners was also an odd thing for Sherlock. John sighed, guessing it was the cold talking as he got up.

"Alright, green tea it is." John sighed as he started down the stairs. Sherlock looked down to Collette who was still kneeling at his feet to feed him.

"Most people want cake for their birthday, not tea." Collette smiled as she got up to clear the dishes from the room, feeling Sherlock's hand take her wrist.

"There's something else I want for my birthday." Sherlock said in an almost suggestive tone, Collette looked down him curiously.

"What would you like?" Collette questioned, the little voice in the back of her head suggested 'birthday sex' as Sherlock had sent John out to be alone with her. Collette knew better than to think Sherlock would request such a thing but also knew how unpredictable he could be.

"A birthday kiss." Sherlock said seriously. He had found himself wanting to kiss Collette plenty of times since New Years Eve but wasn't quite sure how to go about it.

Sherlock was not the type of man who would make a good boyfriend. Sherlock was selfish, proud and obsessed with murder. If a good murder came along, he'd likely run out of an important date to solve it. During the Christmas period, upon discovering Molly's feelings for Sherlock he took the time to wonder why. Every theory came to a similar conclusion. Molly wanted the fantasy Sherlock. Sherlock was a dark, mysterious detective who was always seen going out on adventures. So it was highly possible that Molly was under the impression that if Sherlock ever returned her feelings; he would become a changed man. He would let down all the barriers he kept and show off a sensitive, romantic side that no one knew about. But the truth was Sherlock had no barriers, there was no secret personality hiding beneath it all. Sherlock was just Sherlock and there wasn't much anyone could change about him.

What was true about Sherlock was that he cared for Collette, he might have even labelled it as love. Despite not wanting to, he found that he desired her. He wanted to keep her all for himself and despised the idea of another man touching her. Sherlock wanted what came with being in a relationship; he wanted to kiss her, wanted to hold her, wanted things that made him uncomfortable to think about. But he did not want to disappoint her and Sherlock knew that he could never be a normal boyfriend. So for now, all Sherlock could do was to ask for one kiss on a special occasion.

"Ok." Collette said quietly after a moment. Why did she feel so nervous? Collette realised that both the Christmas kiss and the New Years kiss had been when she was tipsy. It was easier then because the alcohol stopped her from being nervous. Sherlock looked up to Collette expectantly and soon realised that she would not initiate the kiss herself. With a firm tug of her wrist, Sherlock pulled Collette into his lap and gave a reassuring smile.

"Nothing we haven't done before." He whispered, sensing her nerves. Collette's stomach felt like it was about to jump through her mouth as Sherlock's breath hit her lips. With a firm hand on her back, Sherlock pulled her closer to him and kissed her hard. Collette froze for a moment but soon felt instinct take over; she wanted to kiss him. There was something different about this kiss, it wasn't just a quick kiss to follow social convention. This time they were alone, sober and kissing because they wanted to. Sherlock showed no signs of breaking away either, if there were only going to be a few times when Sherlock could receive a kiss; he was going to make the most of it. Despite an unsure start, soon the pair did what came naturally. Collette's fingers were tangled into the detectives hair as his own hands seemed to be working their way under her shirt and up her back. A moment passed and soon tongues met for the first time, it all felt too good. Collette was completely lost in the man beneath her as his own desires came out. For Sherlock, this was all new to him and an exciting adventure which he wanted to explore in full.

"Can you believe I forgot my wallet?" Came the intruding voice of John Watson as he walked into the living room and froze with a small 'oh'. Sherlock and Collette quickly broke away from the embrace and looked over to John. Collette looked like a stunned deer but Sherlock's look was one of murderous anger. Collette's cheeks went bright red as she slid off the detective's lap and gathered the empty soup bowls before retreating into the kitchen.

"You didn't really want green tea, did you?" John asked with an amused smirk on his face. Sherlock growled though it was lost to a cough. Sherlock knew his ill state wouldn't have allowed him to go on much longer with her anyway so he let the anger go before reacing for a tissue.

"That's a sound deduction." Sherlock answered, avoiding eye contact with the man.

"Right, well. Happy birthday." John laughed before going into the kitchen to check on an embarassed Collette.

The next morning Sherlock woke to discover his head and nose clear, with a relaxed sigh he pulled on his blue dressing gown and lazily made his way into the living room. John, surprisingly still in his pajamas, looked over to Sherlock with an angry expression before coughing.

"Good morning to you too." Sherlock said with an amused smile. Collette got up from her chair and shuffled over, blanket wrapped around her and a red nose.

"You're both sick?" Sherlock questioned, looking down to the shorter woman. Collette wrapped her arms and blanket around Sherlock and leaned her head against his chest.

"This is all your fault. Now make me some soup." Collette mumbled in a nasally voice. It was now Sherlock's turn to play nurse.

**Author's note: As always, thanks for the support. Now one of my readers (BlackDragonAssasin) had sent in the idea of Collette being sick. But I may have twisted it a little for my own liking. Sherlock has fussed over Collette plenty lately and thought it was time for him to get some attention. Hope you enjoyed it, please review!**


	19. Doctor, Doctor! pt II

**Author's note: So I didn't really intend to continue the sick storyline but as a few readers reviewed and said they couldn't wait to see Sherlock play nurse, I've felt the need to write this chapter. As always, hope you enjoy reading and please review.**

Sherlock took off his long coat just inside the front door before making his way up the stairs with a box of chinese food. His patients sat in their chairs, Collette bundled up and John in his dressing gown.

"Alright, hot and spicy pork soup for John and chicken and sweetcorn soup for Collette." Sherlock said, handing each their respective plastic containers and going to fetch some spoons.

"You know, I cooked you chicken soup myself." Collette sniffled, removing the lid of her conaintainer and frowning as she could not smell a thing.

"I can't make soup so I did the next best thing." Sherlock said as he returned from the kitchen, handed out spoons and sat in his own chair to enjoy his meal.

"How hard is soup, Sherlock?" John complained as he started on his soup.

"A recipe is a waste of information, there's no room for me to store it up here." Sherlock explained as he tapped his forehead. John realised he had not seen Sherlock cook once since living with him. Of course cooking would be the type of thing Sherlock did not deem necessary to learn, much like the solar system or politics.

"Well I'm just happy to have soup. Now feed me." Collette ordered, proving to be as childish as Sherlock when sick.

"You're a grown woman, you can feed yourself." Sherlock replied lazily. Collette pulled a face and crossed her arms.

"Feed me or I won't eat." She replied stubbornly. Sherlock sighed and sat down his meal before moving his chair closer and taking the soup from Collette. John watched in amusement as Sherlock was reduced to slave labor. Once lunch was over John and Collette retired to their bedrooms to rest. Sherlock did the rounds, deliving vitamins and chest rub.

"How's it feel to be waiting on us for once?" John asked with a smile as he downed his vitamins quickly before applying the chest rub for himself.

"I'm starting to believe you both willingly infected yourselves for the sake of having me serve you." Sherlock answered tiredly, earning a chuckle from John.

"I bet you don't mind serving Collette though. What happened last night?" John asked eagerly, having not had a moment alone with Sherlock yet.

"Nothing." Sherlock deflected quickly.

"Sherlock, it was not nothing." John said, pressing for answers.

"A birthday kiss, that was all." Sherlock replied, having tried not to think about it too much as he feared he'd get stuck dwelling on it.

"Yeah, because I always stick my tongue down the throats of my friends for their birthday." John laughed, making Sherlock more uncomfortable.

"I can't give her a normal relationship, John." Sherlock said seriously.

"So you'd settle for a few once off snogs?" John asked, his cold making him less patient with Sherlock than usual. It was never like Sherlock to hold back, if he wanted something he would go for it in a full charge.

"That is what works for me." Sherlock replied defensively. John groaned loudly and threw his tissue box at the detective.

"Bollocks. Sherlock, you can't keep this up. Ask her out or damnit, someone else will! How do you know you can't give her a normal relationship without actually trying? How do you even know she wants a normal relationship?! She might be happy to have whatever it is you two could have together. When do you ever follow the rules of what's normal? You don't do things the normal way, you do them your way!" John snapped at his friend, hoping to give him the kick in the arse he seemed to need. Sherlock stared at John for a moment, surprised that his arguement actually had some logic behind it. Normal relationships were just as likely to fail as any other, why had he placed so much importance on it?

"Thank you, John." Sherlock said quietly before making his way down to the basement flat. Collette laid out in bed with her laptop open, tapping away at an email to her sister back home.

"Collette?" Came the unusually soft voice of Sherlock as he came in and sat at the end of her bed.

"Oh please no, those things are vile." Collette said as she looked over to the vitamins in Sherlock's hand, making him smile.

"I took them for you. Won't you take them for me?" Sherlock asked mockingly as he put on the same tone she had used on time the day prior. Collette sat her laptop on the beside table and sighed loudly.

"Fine, but only because you're cute." Collette said, picking up her glass of water and taking the large pills with a sour look on her face.

"Good girl, now I have something important I need to ask you." Sherlock asked, offering her the tub of chest rub. Collette sighed once more and pulled her shirt up a little, she hated chest rub more than the pills.

"Ok and you do it, I don't want my hands getting all yuck from that stuff." She insisted. Sherlock could have assumed this was something sexual but knew Collette better then that, she genuinely did not want to touch the strong smelling goo. Carefully, Sherlock took a dab and slid his hand up her shirt and carefully rubbed it into her chest. He tried to look anywhere but her still hidden breasts, instead choosing to look down to her exposed stomach. The somewhat faded scar below her belly button caught his attention. Collette shifted a little, seeing his eyes on her scar.

"It makes a lot of people uncomfortable, I know." Collette said softly, she had never been ashamed of her scar but the idea of Sherlock being put off by it worried her. Sherlock smiled up to her.

"You should know I would never be uncomfortable with a scar, it's a part of who you are. I was just thinking about when we first met, how this silly little thing threw me off." Sherlock said as he ran his fingers over it slowly. Collette smiled, recalling the day Sherlock had insulted her in all the wrong ways.

"And my ring." She said, flashing the fake engagement ring on her right hand.

"That too, yes. You really are different." Sherlock commented as he eyed the ring.

"So are you, so I guess we fit." Collette said with a sniffle.

"We do fit." Sherlock answered, away in his own little world now.

"You said you had something important to ask?" Collette said, tugging on Sherlock's hair gently to bring him back to reality. Sherlock looked Collette in the eyes, trying to read something in her before giving a soft smile.

"I want to be able to kiss you without reason and I want to share a bed with you when we have no house guests. I want these things because I want you. You know me, you know I will never be able to give you something stable or normal. I will never be the ideal boyfriend but I think we could make it work." Sherlock said in the manner in which he explained a complex case. Collette looked to Sherlock, dumbfounded. She was not expecting that. A long moment passed and it was obvious that Sherlock was getting uncomfortable.

"Um, what was the actual question?" Collette asked carefully.

"What do you think of all that?" Sherlock asked seriously, analysing every movement Collette made.

"Oh, um. Well I know you'd never be a regular boyfriend and I would never expect you to be one. But you should also know that there will be times when you will make me angry and that I'll probably shout at you like an idiot, but it won't ever change how I feel about you. So if you're prepared to try for; whatever it is we'll be, then let's try it." Collette said, resisting the need to sneeze. Sherlock smiled and moved closer for a kiss to seal the deal.

"It's agreed then, we'll try to be... something." Sherlock said, gently cupping Collette's cheeks only to get his hands slapped away.

"Ew, they smell like chest rub." Collette said before giving a playful smile as she took his hands to keep them down and leaned up to kiss him.

John walked out to the living room much later. He held back a groan from the aches in his back as he slumped down into his chair, looking over to see Sherlock with his hands folded together to signal he was currently deep in thought.

"How long have you been sitting in the dark?" John questioned, breaking Sherlock away from his thoughts.

"Oh, I'm not sure." Sherlock said, knowing he had misplaced time again.

"Did what I say really get to you?" John asked, feeling a little guilty for snapping. Sherlock waved his hand dismissively.

"Not at all, it was actually quite useful. I asked Collette out, I think. Either way, we're dating now." Sherlock said, once it had been finally sorted his mind was free to return to it's usual workings. John stared in disbelief before sitting back with a smile plastered on his face, taking full credit for the couple getting together.


	20. It's a date!

"Any luck?" John asked as he brought Collette a cup of tea. She smiled up from the newspaper in her hand and forced a smile.

"Not yet, hopefully something soon." Collette replied as she circled another appealing offer. Since the Moriarty incident, she had found working at the pub to be too much and so decided to quit. While she would be missed; her boss could hardly argue with her reason for wanting to quit of attempted murder by a fellow co-worker.

"Maybe you could take some time to find a job you'd really enjoy?" John suggested as he settled into his chair.

"That's the thing, there's never been a career I wanted to pursue. I don't think I could even narrow my choice down to a certain field." Collette explained with a sigh, wishing she had a better understanding of herself.

"I wanted to be a doctor and now I solve crimes for a living. Life doesn't always go the way you expect." John said with a smile, sipping his tea.

"Are you happy with the way your life has gone?" Collette questioned. John pulled his 'thinking face' and took a moment.

"Well yes and no. I can say without a doubt that I'm never bored. But I did think I might have settled down with someone by now." John said, not entirely happy with his single life.

"Well, you've settled down with Sherlock." Collette teased with a smile, unable to help herself. John rolled his eyes.

"How can you say that? You're the one settled with him!" John said with a playful smile.

"I am not, you two are sharing a flat. I have my own flat. Obviously, you're the one settled with him." Collette argued playfully.

"You're dating him. How is that going by the way? I haven't walked in on anymore snogging so I have to wonder." John said, wondering if Sherlock was truly failing in the dating department.

"You know, John. Most people choose to gossip about others behind their back, not while they're in the room." Sherlock said from his own chair, expecting Collette to give a bad report on her dating experience with him and not wanting to hear it.

"It is going quite nicely, thank you very much." Collette said with a smile, ignoring Sherlock's comment before leaning over in her chair to give him a kiss on his sharp cheekbone.

"Have you two even gone a date yet?" John questioned, wondering what exactly the two must be doing as he had yet to notice any real couple-like behavior.

"We went on a date last Thursday." Sherlock added in, failing to stop the conversation so choosing to join in. John sighed loudly.

"You two always had dinner on Thursday, so it doesn't count. I mean a real date!" John said, showing real interest in their development as a couple.

"I'll have you know that it was a real date. It ended in snogging, as you seem so interested in hearing about that sort of thing. I was even allowed access to beneath her bra!" Sherlock said, showing off his achievement proudly. It was Collette's turn to sigh, Sherlock really didn't have a filter.

"Really? Good for you." John said with an amused smile, not expecting Sherlock to act as fast.

"Go on then, what do you constitute as a 'real' date?" Sherlock challenged, wanting to prove to John that he was capable of dating.

"I don't know, doing something you don't normally do." John said, refusing to admit that their Thursday dinner sounded a lot like a normal date.

"Well, I have those London Tour tickets you got me for Christmas that we need to use. How about we go out sometime this week?" Collette asked as she looked over to Sherlock, knowing better than to hold any ill feelings against Sherlock for his blunt honesty.

"Alright, but only if we go in disguise." Sherlock said, making Collette raise an eyebrow.

"Disguise?" She questioned.

"Mycroft is currently unaware of our relationship. I'd like to keep it that way for now so that I may reveal ourselves to him at the right moment, so we will go in disguise." Sherlock said, still making little sense. Collette looked over to John, knowing this would be the type of thing that really only made sense to Sherlock but for his sake she would play along.

"Alright, but you organise the disguises. You can look through my things too, incase you want to use any of it with the disguise. Just stay out of the bedside table and the box under my bed." Collette said, realising too late that she had just given Sherlock a reason to snoop through the two places she didn't want him snooping.

"Do relax, I am already well aware that the items in both of those locations are of no use to us for disguises." Sherlock said casually.

"You've already been through all of my stuff, haven't you?" Collette stated more than questioned.

"Naturally." Sherlock replied, his lack of respect for privacy nothing new. Collette sighed softly but did not complain, she had never had much privacy before anyway.

"Have you worked out the password to my laptop yet?" Collette questioned with a smile, earning a sour look from Sherlock.

"You know that I haven't." He replied before looking away, not happy with himself for not figuring it out yet. Collette smiled, she still had one thing that was all hers. Of course she didn't have anything to hide on her laptop, she just liked knowing that it was for her eyes only.

Collette stepped out of the shower and walked the short distance to her bedroom while wrapped in a towel. It had been two days since deciding to go on a date and today was the day. Laid out on her bed was the disguise Sherlock wanted her to wear. With a groan Collette started to examine the items while mumbling to herself.

"I've really sunk low, letting a man dress me up for his amusement." She said in a soft voice, today she would be dressed as a goth.

"Not for my amusement, for a strict purpose." Came the voice of Sherlock, surprising Collette as she turned to see him standing in the corner. She couldn't help but smirk at his appearance. His usual dark curls had been carefully straightened to hang in his face; his thick woolen black coat replaced by a knee length leather jacket. Beneath the open jacket was tight black jeans and a normal but well fitted black button shirt.

"Ok, normally I would think goth looks horrible on men but you actually look really cute..." Collette found herself saying as she eyed his tight jeans. Sherlock shifted a little as he stepped closer.

"Mycroft can't know yet." Sherlock said, reaffirming his reasons for wearing a disguise.

"But why?" Collette asked as she went over to her drawers, picking out some black underwear to go with her outfit.

"You've seen how he acts around me, the remarks he makes about my inexperience." Sherlock said, turning to face the wall to give her the bare minimum of privacy to get dressed. Collette glared at his back for a moment before drying off, not completely minding if he were to see her.

"So you think he'd have a go at our relationship?" Collette asked as she dressed in black skinny jeans, a buttoned dark purple top with black ribbon and a knee length black trench coat.

"If by 'have a go' you mean belittle our relationship, then yes." Sherlock replied before turning to look, having deduced when she finished dressing due to the noise.

"How do I look then? I'll go put on some makeup in a minute." Collette said, doing a small spin. Sherlock smiled and picked up a small box.

"The final touch is needed." Sherlock answered, opening the box to reveal a scarlet red wig. Collette smiled at the surprise.

"You realise by the both of us dressing goth, we'll be one of those matching couples?" Collette asked as she took the basic bob wig out to inspect.

"There's nothing wrong with that." Sherlock replied with a soft smile, enjoying Collette getting into the dressing up process.

Collette soon returned from the bathroom in dark makeup and her wig, looking every bit the moody individual. Sherlock lead her up to the front door, only to find John waiting to see them off. His excited smile dropped slightly as he saw the couple.

"Oh wow, you guys look... Um, well I'm sure your date will be really romantic." John said after a moment. The two did fit together, he just wondered if they would make the others on the tour uncomfortable.

**Author's note: Hey all, once again thanks for the support. Sorry this chapter is short but it was either that or not post anything tonight. I have had an intense day and I'm exhausted. But I will write up a longer second half to this storyline tomorrow. Want to see Sherlock and Collette dressed up as something? Let me know. Also, what job do you think Collette should try next? Keep your opinions and feedback coming, please review!**


	21. It's a date! pt II

Collette sat in the top deck of a double-decker bus as Sherlock and herself enjoyed touring London. The cool breeze didn't bother her so much as Sherlock stayed close, his arm sitting casually around her. Over the course of the morning, Sherlock had been more affectionate to her than usual. She was starting to believe that perhaps the disguises were more for Sherlock's benefit rather than to hide from Mycroft. As Sherlock, he kept back and didn't know when it was ok to touch her. As her gothic boyfriend, he could act however he wanted as he was playing a character. Collette was happy to let him play the part if it was more comfortable for him.

"Alright everyone, we'll be stopping soon at the London Eye. As part of the tour your tickets are providing. We will be splitting into two groups to go into the capsules. Afterwards you'll have time to buy some lunch and visit the gift shop." The tour guide announced, everyone getting excited. Collette smiled before Sherlock's hand took hers gently.

"You're scratching again." He whispered gently before kissing the back of her hand.

"I can't help it, this wig is itchy." Collette replied with a smile. She didn't like the wig but she was enjoying Sherlock's flirting.

Soon the couple stood in a capsule of the London Eye with their tour group, the views were amazing but Sherlock could feel Collette tensing up. He found himself rubbing her side in a soothing manner as they looked out over the city.

"Why didn't you tell me you were scared of heights?" Sherlock asked, trying to keep his voice soft. Collette held onto his jacket and gave a weak smile.

"I'm more scared of the capsule breaking lose and sending us all to our deaths than the actual height. And just because I don't like being high up doesn't mean I wanted to miss this. It's just an irrational fear afterall." Collette answered, guessing that Sherlock was fearless. The night after spotting the hound was different, he had been drugged afterall. Sherlock pulled Collette closer to him.

"Shall I offer you a suitable distraction then?" Sherlock questioned before pressing his lips to hers. Sherlock smiled against her lips as he felt her body relax. Their moment was short lived as an elderly woman from their tour group cleared her throat and announced quite loudly.

"In my day, couples wouldn't be seen canoodling in public." She said in a tone of disapproval. Collette broke away and looked embarrassed; causing Sherlock's temper to spike as he looked over the woman. His eyes figuring her out easily; poor health, likely a lot of aches and pains, grandmother yet often ignored by her family, small dog which was most likely loved more than her own children, husband of forty years beside her looking uncomfortable, an unhappy relationship but still trying for the sake of their many years together. Sherlock smirked.

"With all due respect; your day was likely in the 1960s. And as everyone here would be well aware of; a decade for self expression and love. So as you're obviously incorrect with your statement; I'm going to do the polite thing and assume you're just grouchy from the arthritis in your left leg and the fact that your husband hasn't kissed you in a few good years." Sherlock said in a manner which made the entire tour group fall into an awkward silence.

Collette stood outside the London Eye gift shop and smiled to herself as the tour guide politely informed Sherlock that he was no longer welcome on the tour and was offered a full refund on the tickets for himself and Collette. Sherlock didn't look too pleased as he returned to her.

"It's amazing how foolish people are, really it is. What's it like for _them _to go through life like that?" Sherlock questioned bitterly. Collette smiled and touched his cheek gently.

"We can't all be as brilliant as the great Sherlock Holmes." Collette answered and leaned up on her toes to give him a quick kiss.

"I wasn't including you with them." Sherlock correctly seriously. Collette took his hand gently and pulled him along.

"I may not be a typical idiot but I'm nothing like you. You're very much one of a kind. But that's ok, you're far more interesting that way. Getting kicked out of a tour on our first 'real' date is a good story." Collette said, causing Sherlock to smile.

"Where would you like to go next? I assume going home this early would result in John telling us it wasn't a date." Sherlock asked, taking Collette's smaller hand in his.

"Well, we missed lunch with the tour and we're goths today, how about we go find one of those goth bars I've heard about?" Collette suggested, thinking it would be interesting. Sherlock smiled and lead them to a cab.

"I know of several." He replied, knowing London better than anyone.

Collette sat in the black cab with Sherlock and leaned against his side gently. She knew a lot of people probably didn't take their relationship seriously because they were not as physical as most people their age, but in all honesty Collette didn't feel like sex was so important in a relationship. In fact, Collette felt closer to Sherlock than she ever had with Jeremy. At that thought Collette bit her lip, she didn't want to compare the two men in anyway. Sherlock and Jeremy were two very different people and her relationships with them were equally different.

"Something wrong?" Sherlock asked, noticing the distressed look on Collette's face. She looked over to him and forced a soft smile.

"It's alright, just my mind getting carried away with things I shouldn't be thinking about." Collette said softly. Sherlock had always had a hard time reading Collette and so gave a nod and let the concern go. A few minutes later his phone beeped to tell him he had a message.

"Driver, change of plans. We're going to St. Bart's hospital." Sherlock said with a grin.

"The morgue?" Collette questioned, assuming it would be the only reason to go to the hospital.

"Yes, there's been a murder and Lestrade has called me in." Sherlock replied as he sent a message to John to meet them there.

"Oh, ok." Collette replied quietly, it was then that Sherlock realised his mistake. It was their first proper date and he had ended it early to go on a case. He felt torn.

"Perhaps we could reschedule the date?" Sherlock offered. Collette smiled over to him and decided to make the best of it.

"No, because it's likely that you'll be called away on future dates too so saying we'll try again another day will just start a bad habit. I'll grab as some lunch from the hospital canteen and we will somehow keep this date going." Collette said with determination. She knew that this was Sherlock's passion and she did not want to take away from it so she was just going to have to find a way to become a part of it. Sherlock's excited smile returned to his face as he leaned in for a kiss.

"That's my girl."

John came into the morgue, wondering just how annoyed Collette must be to have had Sherlock call their date off for the sake of the new case. He did not expect to find the two sharing lunch together as Lestrade went over the details found at the scene. Sherlock had finished inspecting the body and had given Molly the task of testing a few of the samples he had found.

"What's going on?" John asked as everyone looked far too comfortable with the situation.

"Ah John, you're right on time." Sherlock called over, having a few tasks for John to complete.

"What's happened?" He questioned, walking over to Collette who seemed right at home in the lab.

"We've had a third murder. We thought the first two being similar was just a coincidence but now there's this third one. They have to be linked. You've read the papers right? The Bartlett murder and the Thompson murder?" Lestrade started.

"There's no such thing as a coincidence, Lestade. Now John, I want you to go to these men's homes and question their wives, girlfriends, whatever friends and family they have. Ask enough questions and soon whatever it is linking these men will show up." Sherlock ordered.

"I've already told you, we've had our men question the families and there are no links. Only their deaths are similar. They're from different parts of the city, different jobs and networks. Nothing joins them." Lestrade said for what he believed was the hundreth him.

"And I've already told you; something has to join them! I don't trust the work your men do, they are incompetent. If they were able to do their jobs, you wouldn't come to me in the first place." Sherlock snapped, getting serious about the case.

Collette laid in bed that night after an exciting day. Originally she had thought it would be a matter of putting up with the case but once they got going it was actually a lot of fun. Watching Sherlock work was something that she knew she would never tire of. His mind worked in amazing ways and always continued to surprise her. John was also very impressive, he once again proved himself to be the brave, capable soldier. Collette looked up as her bedroom door was pushed open by a tired looking Sherlock. She smiled, admiring him in a tshirt and pj pants; a strange comparison to his usual outfit.

"Something wrong?" Collette asked, they had said goodnight an hour ago.

"No." Sherlock replied simply before sliding into 'his' side of her bed. Collette sighed happily and made room for him, always enjoying the nights he came down to sleep. Sometimes she also went up to him or was even pulled into his room and not given much chance of picking her bed for that night.

"So I think our first date went pretty well." Collette commented after a silent moment.

"Are you kidding? Costumes, lunch in a morgue, chasing down a murderer, gunfire! Our first date went perfectly, who could ever forget that?!" Sherlock exclaimed with excitement, making Collette laugh.

"Very true. It was the best first date ever. Thank you." Collette summed up with a smile before leaning in to share a kiss. Sherlock moved in, deepening the kiss and placing his hands on her body before whispering.

"Wait until John hears about this." He teased, having already been told by her that just because he's copped a feel does not mean John needs to hear about it. Collette laughed and thumped his arm gently.

"Maybe I should get some news to report to him too." Collette whispered playfully with a smile before grabbing Sherlock's rear gently. They were still testing the water with one another and she did not want to overstep the boundaries, especially with Sherlock not being used to this kind of contact. Sherlock laughed in response, signalling that she had not offended him.

"Then tomorrow morning we shall give him the full run down of our progress." Sherlock replied before kissing her and placing both hands on Collette's hips to pull her against him. The single move sent chills down her spine, even in an area he had little experience in; Sherlock was still in complete control and that drove her crazy. After successfully snogging her senseless, Sherlock's mouth left Collette's and he moved onto his side to sleep. Collette laid out on her back beside him, silently trying to calm herself. Collette had never reacted so strongly to anyone before, somehow Sherlock had a way of making her body come alive. It took a while but she was finally able to relax again and drift off to sleep.

**Author's note: Hope you all enjoyed the fluff! Now the next chapter will probably be dealing with the issue of sex and while I have a pretty good idea of what I'd like to write, I want your opinions. Don't worry, I won't actually be writing a sex scene or anything too mature (though as the show is about murder I'm guessing no one would be too offended by a sex scene), I'm just having them discuss it and give everyone an idea of what both Sherlock and Collette are thinking. The subject of whether Sherlock would want sex has always fascinated me. As a lot of people see Sherlock as asexual, but I see him as someone who is simply not highly sexual. He's a self confessed sociopath afterall, so I'm assuming that physical intimacy with another person has never rated too high on his list of things to do. Anyway, please let me know what you think.**


	22. Frustration

"John! John!" Came the loud, angry shouting of Sherlock Holmes through the entire Baker street house. John sighed and came down from his bedroom to see the detective propped up at his desk, his laptop open infront of him.

"What?" John asked, assuming he was being called to perform some mindless task. Sherlock looked over to the good doctor with a scowl on his face.

"Do you mind explaining this?!" Sherlock snapped as he turned the laptop to face John. John walked over to see it was his latest blog entry.

"What about it? I wrote up the case like I usually do." John replied, seeing nothing wrong with the entry. Had he made some minor mistake that set off Sherlock's need for his writing to be perfect again?

"This, this!" Sherlock said, tapping the sreen to point out one specific sentence.

"Oh... I didn't even realise I wrote that." John replied quietly, seeing why Sherlock was upset.

"_Sherlock and Collette's relationship is truly a unique one. When they are together, they seem to be in a world all their own. However on observing them when they are separated, they both give off the very noticeable vibe of being sexually frustrated_." Sherlock quoted John's blog before looking over to John.

"I'll change it that. When I write I just let everything I'm thinking come out." John tried to explain, hoping not too many people had seen his entry yet.

"I am not sexually frustrated!" Sherlock shouted, slamming his fist down onto the desk.

"Right." John replied, while he was sorry for posting it online; he still believed what he had written.

"And look at this! Mycroft has read it, he left a bloody comment!" Sherlock bellowed, pointing to the one and only comment left so far. Of course Mycroft would be the one to see it and of course he would leave a snarky comment about Sherlock being unsuitable for Collette.

"Ok, I get it. Move and let me edit it." John replied, taking the laptop from Sherlock and moving to sit in his chair.

"I am not sexually frustrated." Sherlock repeated after a silent moment of John tapping away. John looked over, it had been a while since Sherlock and Collette's first official date and he had not had much time to bring the relationship up. At home, Sherlock and Collette were together and on the case Sherlock's brain was occupied.

"Really? Have you and Collette even tried to-" John started, getting a sharp look from Sherlock.

"What business is it of yours what we have done, John?!" Sherlock snapped, moving over to his chair.

"I'm just asking as a friend. I know you aren't all that, um, experienced in the dating area. I mean, it's safe to say that you're a-" John tried more gently.

"Virgin, yes. It has been established. I still see no reason for you to involve yourself." Sherlock cut in, obviously not comfortable with the conversation.

"Look, I'm only trying to help. I'm not saying you're going to anytime soon, but eventually the time will come when you decide to go that extra mile with Collette. And I want you to know that I'm here for you if you have any questions." John offered, trying to encourage his friend.

"I understand the concept very clearly John. I have no need to seek out any guidance." Sherlock replied, crossing his arms and shifting in his chair.

"Alright then. You should know then that not everything you see in the media about sex is accurate. I mean, a lot of people do it for the physical enjoyment but it can mean a lot more when you love someone. It's not just about 'getting off', it can also be connecting with someone on a completely new level." John explained as gently as he could, knowing the subject was likely a difficult one for Sherlock. He was right.

"John, if I wanted to get off I am perfectly capable of self-servicing!" Sherlock shouted loudly as Collette walked into the room with a shopping bag.

"Oh, um, I picked up milk for you guys while I was out. I'll just put it in the fridge..." Collette mumbled before walking into the kitchen, assuming she had walked in on the Sherlock version of 'bloke talk'.

"Do you think she heard that?" Sherlock questioned quietly, looking over to John who sighed in aggrivation.

"Obviously." John replied, wondering how a genius could be such an idiot at times. Collette soon returned from the kitchen, gave a small smile and headed for the door to give the boys some privacy.

"Collette, come here." Sherlock said quickly, making the uncomfortably silent girl turn and move over to her seat.

"Yes?" Collette questioned once seated.

"What you heard just then." Sherlock started, wondering how he could explain.

"Was a private conversation between you and John that I happened to overhear outside context." Collette finished with a soft smile.

"Seriously? Not even a bit curious?" John asked in disbelief, Collette smiled over.

"Most friends talk about that stuff, it's not that big of a deal." Collette answered. While she did wonder about what the conversation had included, she wasn't about to cause some scene and demand to know.

"Alright then, let me ask you just so we're clear." John said, looking over to Sherlock with a smirk.

"Ask me what?" Collette asked, seeing that she was right to remain calm.

"Are you sexually frustrated?" John asked, hoping to make Sherlock see some sense. Collette was a little shocked by the blunt question

"John, it's none of your concern!" Sherlock snapped, half of him not wanting to know the answer.

"Why? Are you sexually frustrated?" Collette asked, dircting her question at Sherlock. She couldn't answer that type of question infront of John.

"No, I already told him. He seems to think we both are." Sherlock replied seriously. Collette gave a nod and stood up.

"Well if that's what all this is about. John, what happens between Sherlock and myself stays that way. At least it usually does, we all seem to know everybody's business in this house." Collette replied before making her way back down to her own flat, wondering if she really did come off as frustrated. John's question had given her something to think about.

"You see? Nothing to worry about." Sherlock replied in an arrogant tone, only making John smile wider.

"She never answered. If she wasn't then she would have just said so." John replied. Every now and again John had a moment when he thought he could take over Sherlock's job of deducing. Sherlock looked confused for a moment before getting up, snatching the laptop away and going to his room. He had some research to do.

Collette stood in her kitchen, adding blue food colouring to her white chocolate fudge mix. It was always more fun to add colour for her, though she had been lectured by Sherlock plenty of times that it was pointless.

"Blue? Is that a sign you are feeling sad or calm?" Came the questioning voice of Sherlock himself. Collette looked over and smiled.

"I didn't hear you come in." She replied, stirring the mixture.

"I do that a lot." Sherlock said, inspecting the bright blue concoction as Collette poured it into a dish to set.

"Yeah you do." Collette answered, coming off as a bit distant.

"You didn't answer me, did you pick blue because you're sad?" Sherlock asked again firmly. Collette smiled up to him.

"I'm not sad. I picked blue because it's your favorite colour... well maybe not this alarming shade but still..." She answered, putting the dish into the fridge.

"I see. It's true though, that you're sexually frustrated." Sherlock commented in an almost casual manner. He had researched the signs and John's conclusion all appeared to be pointing to one thing. Collette took Sherlock's hand and lead him to the couch. She had no intention to talking to John about the manner but Sherlock was her boyfriend and had every right to ask her how she felt.

"I'm not." Collette replied once seated, holding Sherlock's larger hand in hers.

"You've been bitter and getting angry easily lately, you've been comfort eating and you did not answer when John asked you." Sherlock replied, showing his evidence.

"I'm not sexually frustrated. I'm frustrated because I haven't found a job yet. And I didn't answer John because I didn't want to talk to him about what we do or do not do in the bedroom. You can talk to him if you want but I would find it too embarrassing." Collette answered honestly.

"But there is something, isn't there? You're not happy about our situation, are you?" Sherlock asked, needing answers.

"I'm happy with how we're going and I would never try to pressure you into anything. I know you're not that interested in sex, maybe one day you'll want to but right now you don't and that's ok. It's just that it gets hard for me sometimes, I don't know if you want me or not and that can get confusing." Collette said slowly, unsure if she was explaining herself properly. She was confident that Sherlock cared for her but without the physical intimacy it sometimes left her feeling insecure. She hated comparing the two but Jeremy had always made it clear that he wanted her. With Sherlock it was more of a guessing game, sometimes he would give her the attention she craved and other times he simply wanted some time alone to think.

Sherlock looked over the girl in front of him and realised that all Collette had been wanting was some reassurance of his feelings towards her. It was true he sometimes forgot that there were other people around him, including Collette. There had even been days he had gone without kissing her. While he did not need to be reminded of her feelings, she obviously did.

"This isn't about sex." Sherlock said quietly, causing Collette to smile.

"It rarely ever is." She replied, knowing that some couples seemed to use sex as a reason for their troubles when the underlying problem was poor communication. Sure, Sherlock had a way of getting her hot and bothered before leaving her to do other things. He had even been aroused around her and chose not to act on it. Collette could handle those things, all she really wanted was a hug or a kiss; some little act to show he was thinking about her.

"Never doubt that I want you. You are a beautiful woman and you fascinate me." Sherlock said, laying on the charm. Collette found herself giggling.

"You don't have to say that. A kiss good morning and a kiss goodnight will be enough." Collette replied, touching Sherlock's cheek gently.

"Very well but it is the truth. Your lips are of appropriate size, your nose is perfectly straight and your eyes are slightly larger than average which make for pleasing aesthetics." Sherlock explained carefully, his attempt at flattery. Collette smiled and gave the man a soft kiss to tell him that she was alright. Once again the Baker Street home was at peace, for the moment at least.

**Author's note: Thanks everyone for giving your opinions. I have to say I found this a little ironic; I have never been more frustrated with this story then trying to write this chapter which happens to be about frustration. I don't think I got out what I wanted but I will continue to explore their relationship throughout the story. Hope you enjoyed reading, please review!**


	23. The Employment Solution

Sherlock stumbled into the living room wrapped in his sheet and yawning loudly. He looked around the empty room before sitting down in his chair and grabbing his laptop to check for any clients on the website. It didn't take long before John came out of the bathroom and made tea for the detective.

"Collette's already off at work then?" John asked as he sat down the cup for Sherlock.

"Mm, must be." Sherlock replied casually, attention on his laptop.

"What's she doing anyway? I mean she started a week ago and hasn't said a thing about where she is or what she's doing. I would have thought after Moriarty she'd give us contact details or something." John said with concern, he was a trained military man and still got caught but Collette had no way of defending herself and was likely to be targeted again.

"No idea." Sherlock said, dismissing any ideas that Moriarty would target Collette again; that would be boring.

"Sherlock, I'm serious. You attract trouble and she's dating you. Even if there was no risk, you should still know where your girlfriend works." John scolded, finally making the detective look at him.

"Very well, if it's so important to you then I will ask her." Sherlock replied with a sigh as he took out his phone and sent a text.

The morning passed slowly. Sherlock paced the living room, now showered and dressed but without a response. Collette always replied to text messages within half an hour, it had been three hours since the message was sent. The last time she had not replied to him was when Moriarty had taken her. Now, thanks to John, Sherlock was worried.

"Relax, lots of people have their phones off or on silent for work." John said calmly, he wanted answers too but was not about to jump to conclusions.

"Relax?! John I can't relax! Where is she?!" Sherlock shouted, now that his mind was on the subject he would not be able to stop thinking about it.

"Well, she's normally home by four. Just wait until then before you mental." John replied.

"What do we know about this job? She leaves before I get up and she's home by four. She's been wearing business clothes so it's not another casual job and-" Sherlock did not finish his sentence as he ran down the stairs.

"Sherlock?!" John called before getting up to follow.

When John had made it down to Collette's flat the bedroom door was wide open and Sherlock was going through her clothes. As he entered the bedroom, Sherlock laid three business suits out on the bed.

"You think you can guess her job from what she's been wearing?" John questioned as he eyed the clothing. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the clothes; all conservative business wear in blacks, greys, whites and navy blues.

"Don't you see, John?" Sherlock asked, having already picked something up that John had not.

"Um, there's a serious lack of her usual colours in these outfits?" John questioned. Sherlock sighed as he pulled out two pairs of shoes as well.

"Look at it all John, really look." Sherlock ordered, displaying the clothing. John shook his head.

"No clue." He replied, making the detective groan.

"Honestly, how do you even get yourself dressed of a morning?" Sherlock snapped out at the 'ordinary' man's lack of observation skills.

"This coming from the bloke who forgets to eat. Go on then, genius, enlighten me." John retorted in a growl.

"It's all new. One week ago Collette was living off her savings. This week she's gone out and bought suits that I dare say are worth more than her bank account. Look at all this, none of it is something that she would enjoy buying. It's all for her work." Sherlock explained, his eyes picking up the signs of high priced clothing.

"So she's gone and bought herself a few suits. Lots of women spend too much on clothing and if she's working in some office then she might feel self conscious of what the other women are wearing." John tried to reason, remembering his sister once spending a month's pay on a pair of heels she never wore.

"Collette would not do that. Something is amiss!" Sherlock said, looking around for more clues. John sighed, knowing that whatever was going on did not mean Collette was in danger and so he returned upstairs to fix himself some lunch.

Collette looked at her phone and sighed before slipping it back into her pocket. Sherlock would find out where she was working soon enough but right now she was hoping to avoid it as long as possible. She feared that there would be trouble when he found out.

"Another message from my troublesome brother?" Mycroft asked from across the desk.

"The third one today. I think he's finally realised something is going on." Collette answered.

"One week to work it out and here I was thinking it would take him less than an hour." Mycroft said more to himself in amusement.

"He had a case when I first started, his mind was occupied." Collette replied, both of them knowing how involved Sherlock was with his work.

"It must be difficult for you, being his partner. I'm merely the man's brother and I can't cope. You could imagine growing up with him." Mycroft replied, sipping his tea. Collette smiled.

"Not really, no. But I'd love to hear about it sometime. It is different being with a man like Sherlock but I don't think I'd ever want him to change." Collette replied honestly.

"That's good to hear. I was getting worried that Sherlock would never find a suitable spouse." Mycroft replied seriously. Collette smiled, having learnt so much about Mycroft in her past week working for him. While he was often cold to Sherlock, he really did care but simply had a hard time connecting to him.

"Well he probably won't find me so suitable when he finds out I'm working for you." Collette replied, knowing she should have told him the moment Mycroft offered her the job.

"He'll come to accept it, even if he doesn't like it. While we are on the subject, how're you feeling about the job itself? It's not much I know, but-" Mycroft started out.

"No, no. I'm really enjoying it here. I actually don't think I'm qualified for it." Collette cut in, grateful for the job but feeling as if the pay is too much. Mycroft laughed at her outburst.

"You have something that no amount of education or training could compete with; my trust. You can be trained to do anything I need but unless I trust you then you are of no use to me." Mycroft explained simply.

"Well I still appreciate it." Collette said with a smile.

"You're welcome my dear. It's just one of the perks that come with putting up with my brother. Must make sure you can afford to stay with him afterall." Mycroft said in an almost suggestive tone, causing Collette's smile to fade.

"Please tell me that you didn't just give me this job as some sort of bribe to make me stay with Sherlock. Because I don't need anything to encourage me to be with him, he is enough." Collette said seriously.

"Oh my dear, forgive me if that is what it sounded like. Of course I am not trying to bribe you. I merely meant that it takes a unique character to stay with Sherlock for so long. John and yourself, I view you both highly for your patience." Mycroft answered with a smile, once again impressed by the loyalty of Sherlock's companions.

"Sorry, it's just that John told me what happened when you two first met." Collette said softly, ashamed that she would jump to such a conclusion so quickly.

"Think nothing of it, now you should be heading home. I'm sure your boyfriend has been kept waiting long enough." Mycroft replied, standing from his desk.

"Sure, this is going to be fun to explain." Collette replied as she got her things together.

"Not to worry, he'll be angry with me not you. Oh and before you go, this is for tomorrow." Mycroft took a bag from behind his chair and passed it over. Collette smiled and looked through it, another dull suit.

"Thanks, you know I can buy my own clothes." She replied, having no idea the value of the bag's contents.

"It's easier this way, we have set standards here. This will be the last bag though, you're to rotate through the clothing already provided after tomorrow unless instructed otherwise. And do remember-" Mycroft started.

"Dry clean only. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. I just wish you would have included a few plum shirts or something." Collette finished before heading off. She really did enjoy working for Mycroft, no two days were the same. There was always something to be done and the benefits that came with the job were excellent.

Sherlock stood at the window, as he had done for the past twenty minutes, in wait for Collette to come home. He rose onto his toes as a black car pulled up outside, it could have been mistaken for a cab but had no markings. A man in a suit got out of the car to open the door for Collette, who thanked the man and picked out a new handbag and a shopping bag. Before he could see anymore, Sherlock ran down the stairs to be at the front door when she entered.

Collette looked around a little as her ride home drove off, she checked her phone once more and took a deep breath. It was time to face Sherlock.

**Author's note: Hey all, thanks for all the support. Now I know I said Irene Adler was not going to appear in my story but I am starting to try and think up how she would fit in. It would be a similar case to the show but perhaps having her take interest in Collette instead. If any of you have some ideas for it, please let me know. As always, please review!**


	24. The Employment Solution pt II

Collette stood on the front step of the Baker street home, before she could fish her keys from her bag the door flew open. Infront of her stood Sherlock, he looked out of breath and angry. Collette opened her mouth to speak but was pulled inside and pressed to the wall with force she had never known Sherlock to possess. He spoke one word, one little word only.

"Mycroft." It was enough to portray his restrained anger and sense of betrayal. Collette felt her knees go weak but could not sink to the ground as she was still being held firmly by Sherlock.

"Yes." Collette replied simply, knowing better than to try to lie or deny the truth.

"Why? Why would you work for him of all people? Did you really think I wouldn't work it out? Those clothes, that car. They've got Mycroft written all over them. You could have taken a job anywhere and yet you went to him. It can't be for the money, you've never been so shallow." Sherlock spoke in a dangerously low tone, something inside him twisted. Mycroft had taken an interest in Collette since the beginning, he was successful, powerful and he was intelligent like Sherlock but was better able to socialise with others. Those factors combined made Sherlock inexplicably nervous.

"Sherlock..." Collette whispered in a soft voice, reaching to touch his cheek. Sherlock jerked away from her and turned his back on her in an attempt to restrain himself.

"Don't use that voice on me! Not now!" Sherlock snapped. He needed answers, not her distracting him with the the sweet way she said his name. Collette could see that Sherlock was hurting, she made another attempt and gently took hold of the back of his shirt to let him know that she was there.

"I'm sorry. I should have explained myself from the start but I was worried you would get annoyed so I held off. I didn't take the job with Mycroft for the money, though at the time it was an important factor." Collette said calmly, hoping Sherlock would give her a chance to answer his questions. He still refused to look at her but she could see him trying to contain himself.

"Go on." He muttered quietly, his desire for answers pushing him. This time she could not say his deductions were all false, this time she really had done what he was worried about. She was working for Mycroft; the enemy.

"I was looking for jobs, like you know. But everytime I went in for an interview or to inquire about a position I found myself looking over my shoulder or picking out ways that Moriarty could get to me in that job. At first it was ok, I thought after some time I would get over it but soon my savings were running low and I was still paranoid. I couldn't afford the rent downstairs on what I was making from my writing so I had to find something soon. You know Mycroft sometimes finds me for a talk, usually to just check in on you. He already knew I wasn't working and offered me a position as one of his assistants. I didn't want to take it at first, I knew what kind of drama it would cause between you two. But then I realised; Moriarty could get to me anywhere so easily. At least working for Mycroft, I would be safe. I thought even if you didn't like it, you would still appreciate that Mycroft will ensure my protection." Collette explained as best she could, not wanting to make a single mistake and cause more problems.

"I can protect you, you didn't need to go to him." Sherlock said quietly but in a calm tone. Collette smiled softly, seeing he must have understood her reasoning. She could see his slowed breathing from the movement of his back. Now was the time to lay on the charm.

"But you've got such an important job to do, I didn't want to distract you. Afterall, you are the world's only consulting detective. No one else could do what you do. Mycroft is no _Sherlock_ but he shares your genes so he'll have to do." Collette said as she rubbed Sherlock's back gently. Sherlock smiled to himself, it was very obvious that Collette was sucking up.

"Go on then." Sherlock replied as he turned to face Collette. While he did not like her working for Mycroft and it pained him to admit it; Mycroft could keep her safe. Collette smiled and offered Sherlock a soft kiss which he did not refuse.

"You solve the crimes and do the legwork, it takes a real man to be able to handle both. You're a real asset to society, my hero." Collette continued laying it on thick. Sherlock was never one to turn away flattery. The two made their way up the stairs to a concerned John.

"Is the lover's spat over then?" John asked seeing the two hand in hand. Collette smiled over.

"Yes John, I still feel bad though..." Collette admitted, giving Sherlock a kiss on the cheek before parting ways to sit in their respected chairs.

"It's Mycroft's fault." Sherlock said, deciding to use his earlier anger against Mycroft instead.

"It was my fault for not telling you." Collette corrected, wanting to stop any fight between the brothers before it happens.

"So what is it you do? All Sherlock could do earlier was growl out Mycroft's name." John said, sometimes glad he did not understand Sherlock's mind.

"I'm one of Mycroft's assistants. Basically I run around his office all day, collecting paperwork, escorting people in or out, making the tea. Basic stuff really except for the fact that I can't talk about most of it." Collette answered, slipping her heels off. She hated her work shoes.

"At least this offers a chance for me to keep a closer eye on my brother." Sherlock said as he leaned forward in thought, clasping his hands together.

"No Sherlock, I can't tell you anything." Collette said firmly, knowing she had to set similar boundaries that she had put in place with Mycroft. She refused to give up any information on Sherlock other than the basics when he had asked.

"What is the purpose of my girlfriend working for my brother if I can't use her to spy on him?!" Sherlock snapped. Collette smiled, happy to see him back to his usual self.

"I can't tell you anything Sherlock. I am with Mycroft all day, I can't be giving away his information. Having said that, I can't really help it if my boyfriend happens to know I'm with Mycroft all day and uses the GPS on my phone to locate us." Collette said with a smirk, she had to give him something. Sherlock smiled over.

"Good girl. But I'm afraid the GPS is useless to me as I do not know it's password." Sherlock admitted.

"Well, John knows the password to my GPS and it is also saved in my laptop. So you can either crack John or my laptop. The challenge is set." Collette said with a smile, causing Sherlock to groan.

"It will be John to crack then for I have tried to get the password to your laptop with no luck." Sherlock replied bitterly as he eyed John carefully.

"Don't bring me into it!" John snapped, knowing with Sherlock's pestering he'd give the password up in an hour.

"I'm sure you'll get into my laptop one day, it's just a matter of time." Collette added in with a smile, still quite pleased that he had yet to guess it. Sherlock smiled over, Collette's laptop was her heart and she guarded it well.

"I promise you, Collette. One day I will know every file of your laptop with great intimacy."

**Author's note: Haha, that last line was probably the closest I could get Sherlock to being romantic. A few of you had some ideas for Irene Adler, while I can't promise anything I will be thinking about it. I'm thinking she might just be what is needed to kick Collette and Sherlock's relationship up a notch. As always, please review!**


	25. Girl's Night

**Author's note: As always, thank you all for the support. Now I do plan to have Irene Adler in the story at some point but it will not be for a while yet. I'd also like to say that this may be the last update until after the weekend. I've been very busy lately, just taken on a new job (that I'm told is mostly weekend work) and with Christmas coming up; updates may be slower than usual. I'm sure you all understand this (even if you don't like it, haha) so I just wanted you all to know. Please review!**

Collette smiled to herself as she looked over the outfit laid out on the bed. No, Sherlock had not chosen a disguise for her again. This time, Collette had carefully picked out what she wanted to wear for a night out with Molly. The good thing about working for Mycroft was that she got weekends off. He also didn't mind giving her time off if Sherlock wanted to bring her along for a case. Everything seemed perfectly settled in her life and so she wanted a night out to celebrate.

"Collette, do you know where Sherlock moved the kettle to? I don't know how I ever manage to use our kitchen." Came the voice of John Watson as he cautiously looked into her bedroom. Collette smiled over.

"No idea, use mine if you like. We both know your kitchen is going to end up as a lab." Collette replied as she walked over to pick out her shoes.

"Let's be serious, it's already a lab. What's with the clothes?" John asked, looking at the skirt and top laid out on the bed.

"I'm going out tonight with Molly. She's coming here first though for some drinks." Collette answered, taking out two types of shoes and held them up for John to decide.

"Not the heels, they'd do more damage to your feet." The doctor replied, deciding on the lower wedges.

"Thanks. Now I need a cute jacket..." Collette mumbled to herself. While she often didn't put too much thought into what she wore, tonight she wanted to make an effort with her looks.

"Does Sherlock know you're going out? Does he also know that Molly will be coming over? Oh, does Molly know you're going out with Sherlock?" John asked all at once, not knowing which would be worse.

"Yes, yes and yes. Though you know that Sherlock doesn't always listen. I at least told him about it." Collette replied as she went through her things and pulled out the right jacket.

"I can't see him being too happy that Molly will be here." John replied as he casually leaned against the door frame.

"It will be fine, Molly told me she's moving on with her life. She might even meet someone tonight." Collette replied.

Soon Collette was dressed up and sitting on the floor infront of the coffee table in John and Sherlock's living room. Molly sat beside her as the two girls drank the fanciest cocktails Collette had learned to make at the pub. The two boys had whisky; John was enjoying his drink while Sherlock merely held his glass and continued to bite his tongue. How Collette had convinced him to join the girls for 'pre-drinks' was beyond him.

"And then he asked me to show him the test results." Molly finished her story with a tipsy giggle. Collette smiled.

"This guy likes you, it's so obvious." Collette replied happily. Sherlock watched carefully, in this case Collette was right about Molly's co-worker.

"Really? I don't know, he might just be friendly..." Molly replied. Collette smacked Molly's shoulder playfully to scold her for doubting herself.

"Yes! I can always tell when someone likes one of my friends." Collette admitted, it had been one of her few observation skills.

"I don't know, from what John's told me; Sherlock liked you for months before you two started dating." Molly said with a laugh. Sherlock shifted uncomfortable in his seat, someone the two gossiping made him on edge.

"I can never tell when someone likes me. Besides, Sherlock is a master of deduction so I think he could easily hide when he likes someone." Collette said, looking up to Sherlock with a smile as leaned against his legs. Sherlock's lips twitched just enough to show that he enjoyed the compliment.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask him to coffee." Molly replied, helping herself to another drink.

"That's the spirit. Or tonight we might meet some hot boys." Collette said with enthusiasm, while she had no interest in flirting or meeting anyone; she wanted to support Molly. At this Sherlock sat up straight in his seat and carefully pushed his fingers into Collette's hair to remind her that he was there. Molly giggled, not used to seeing Sherlock's odd behaviour.

"I think your boyfriend is jealous." Molly whispered but was loud enough for the group to hear. Collette looked up to Sherlock with a smile.

"I'm talking about meeting hot boys for Molly, not me. I've already got my hot boy." Collette said playfully, the drink taking some effect. Sherlock smiled slightly, not entirely used to having someone call him hot.

"Right, well as long as you keep that in mind." Sherlock said, finally taking a drink of his whisky to relax.

"So where are you ladies off to tonight?" John asked to join the conversation.

"We'll probably take the tube to central London and find a pub there." Molly answered, neither of the girls were used to going out much and had no place of choice to go.

"Wouldn't somewhere closer be better? Two women going out at night isn't the safest thing." John said with concern, knowing both women were quite timid around most people.

"Maybe you should escort us then, if anyone tries to mess with us you can whip out your gun and go all commando on them." Collette said with a smile, drinking more of her cocktail.

"What's it like to shoot a gun, John? Is it fun?" Molly asked, getting off track.

"People don't usually shoot for fun in a war." John answered seriously.

"I've never shot a gun before, always wondered what it was like." Molly replied.

"I think it depends on the person. Some people get a real kick out of it, I never really enjoyed it that much." Collette answered as she finished off her glass, earning looks from Molly and the boys.

"When have you ever shot a gun?" John asked with a laugh. Collette was not the type of person he could ever imagine with weapon.

"My sister does it as a hobby at a gun range. She took me with her a lot when she started. She loves it, gets off on it actually, said it was better than sex. I didn't like it that much, but then I don't have a good aim. I think I still have a few photos on my laptop of my sister and I posing with our target paper and stuff." Collette explained with a soft smile.

"Well go on then, let's see." Molly said with a smile.

"My laptop is downstairs." Collette whined, not realling thinking her in big earmuffs was a good look.

"Yes, I showed you that photo of me as a teenager when I had braces. You have to show me this." Molly insisted. Collette got up with a groan and went down to fetch her laptop, knowing she should have not mentioned anything.

"If you're that interested I could teach you sometime." John offered, guessing that as the woman could handle slicing dead bodies for a living that she could handle a gun.

"That sounds really lovely actually, thank you John." Molly said with a smile. Sherlock watched the pair carefully as she continued to talk, wondering if Molly would develop feelings for John. It would be more convenient if she did. Collette soon returned and sunk back down to the floor beside Molly, turning on her laptop and typing in the password. She had it hidden so Sherlock could not spy the password but he did note 4 keys. That frustrated him a little, 4 keys should have been easy to guess. Once started up, Collette sat the laptop on the coffee table and started going through photos.

"You've got a dog?" Molly questioned as Collette moved through the family photos.

"He's my parent's dog. His name is Talbot and he is a spoilt little lump." Collette said with a smile as she found the photos she was looking for.

"My god, your sister looks just like you!" Molly exclaimed as she looked over the photo of Collette standing with her sister in orange earmuffs.

"Yep, that's Joanne. Yvette looks the same. Joanne is a little chubbier than me and Yvette is stick thin. But we've all got Mum's eyes and nose." Collette explained with a smile as Sherlock looked over her shoulder with interest. Collette had never shown family photos before, likely because the boys had never insisted on seeing them.

"Show me Yvette then." Molly said with interest, she was an only child. Collette smiled and went through more photos to find the most recent family photo. She soon came across one in the front garden of her parent's home. Sherlock looked with interest, deducing things about each member of the photo. Collette sat in the middle of an outdoor bench, what could only be her parents sat either side of her. The small dog known as Talbot on her father's lap. The two older sisters stood directly behind them, with the two brothers on either side of them.

"In a big family, these sorts of photos are really hard to organise." Collette admitted. Sherlock touched the back of her neck, catching her attention.

"You're the baby of the family." Sherlock stated, he had always known she was the youngest child but in this photo he could see it; she was the odd one out.

"You know it, it's not the easiest thing either. My siblings hated me growing up." Collette admitted. Sherlock smiled, he knew her meaning too well. He was the youngest child and was often treated differently to Mycroft because of it. It had started many arguements between the two brothers.

Soon the laptop was forgotten as the girls continued to drink, Sherlock eyed it carefully and wondered if the alcohol would cause Collette to forget it. They would be going out soon and it would be his chance to search it.

"Well, alright then. Come on Sherlock." John's voice pulled him from his thoughts as he looked over to the doctor.

"Hmm?" He questioned.

"We're going out with the girls." John said with a smile, having found Molly to be a lot of fun now that she wasn't chasing Sherlock and ignoring him.

"Oh, no you go ahead." Sherlock dismissed, not about to give up his chance to snoop. John gave him a look which he missed before getting up and heading downstairs with Molly.

"Sherlock, are you seriously going to leave me alone?" Collette questioned once the two were left alone.

"You'll have Molly and John, I fail to see how you will be alone." Sherlock replied, his glance over to the laptop betraying him. Collette moved over to close the laptop.

"John will most likely be trying to flirt with Molly all night. So I will be left alone. Come with us and I'll give you a clue to my password." Collette bargained. Sherlock had missed his chance to simply check through the files and so this was the next best thing. With a heavy sigh, he agreed.

The small group stood outside what looked like a busy pub after getting out of their cab. The girls looked excited while Sherlock stood and examined the unappealing establishment. It would be New Year's eve all over again. Collette took Sherlock's hand and gave him a smile, reminding him that one thing had changed since then. Knowing Collette would not be flirting with other men did mean the night would be more bearable.

"Alright, let's do this." Sherlock sighed, allowing himself to be pulled along.


	26. Girl's Night pt II

The noise of the pub was loud; people were dancing, laughing and shouting at one another. John was teaching Molly the art of darts, which looked more like him holding her against his body and repeating how important it was to aim.

"Interesting." Sherlock commented from his booth as he watched the two. Collette smiled and tapped his arm gently.

"Give them a little privacy. How about you tell me who in here is having an affair?" Collette suggested, unsure if John and Molly were seeking a relationship or just a bit of fun. The attention was probably good for the both of them. Sherlock smiled and put his stills to work, pointing out several men and women who were there to seek out lovers.

"There, now I do believe I was promised a clue for your laptop." Sherlock said, wanting to get it out of the way so he had the night to think.

"You never give up do you? Ok, my password is a number only, no letters." Collette confessed, throwing off all Sherlock had assumed.

"But your laptop is your heart, I assumed-" He started.

"That I would have some silly word naming something I loved? No, I guard my laptop like I guard my actual heart. With common sense and awareness. I know if I gave away my password or my heart easely it would end badly." Collette admitted, being a lot younger than her siblings; she grew up watching their mistakes and seeing their pain.

"I see." Sherlock replied, looking down to his glass in thought.

"Don't worry, while I haven't given up my heart to you yet; you do hold a special place in it." Collette said, kissing Sherlock's cheek gently with a smile.

"I would expect nothing less." Sherlock replied with a smile. The couple were not ones to be admitting love anytime soon.

"Collette, come dance!" Molly said with enthusiasm as she approached the two, John bringing over more drinks.

"Really?" Collette asked, thanking John and taking a big drink. She was uncomfortable dancing but she thought she would be ok with Molly.

"Yes, yes. Let's!" Molly said, grabbing the other girl's hand and pulling her off to dance. John sat down across from Sherlock with a large grin on his face.

"When have you ever taken interest in Molly Hooper?" Sherlock asked John seriously, not understanding his blogger's behaviour.

"Well she's pretty nice and now that she's not obsessing over you she actually notices me." John replied, drinking his beer. Sherlock sat quietly, wondering if John and Molly's flirtation would last past the night.

Within an hour, Sherlock's question was answered. John now stood at the bar with another woman while Molly had found a co-worker from Bart's and was currently dancing with him. It was almost closing time at the pub and it was full of drunks. Sherlock wished to leave, he looked to his right. Collette was propped up against him with her head on his shoulder. Sherlock gave her a gentle shake.

"How can you be sleeping in a place like this?" Sherlock questioned loudly for her to hear. Collette forced herself up and gave him a dazed look, she had drank too much.

"You smell good, it makes you comfy!" Collette shouted in return, looking for her drink.

"Are you ready to leave?" Sherlock questioned, not wanting to stay any longer.

"I can't leave, gotta make sure Molly gets home safely!" Collette replied, proving her loyalty although she was the one needing help to get home. Sherlock sighed and got up, going over to John and asking him to make sure Molly got home safely. With that settled Sherlock returned to Collette and helped her up and lead her outside to a cab.

"Where's Molly?" Collette asked, looking around as Sherlock walked with her.

"John will see her home." Sherlock explained, helping her into the cab.

"I'm sorry, I drank too much. But I thought tonight would go differently." Collette confessed as she placed her head on Sherlock's shoulder once more.

"I hope you didn't think I would be up dancing with you. Not my kind of music." Sherlock replied, not minding that she had gotten herself into quite the state.

"No, not that. I just thought Molly and I would be having fun together but she spent most of the night flirting. How boring." Collette scrunched her nose.

"I thought you wanted Molly to move on." Sherlock replied with an amused smile, watching Collette carefully.

"I do, but I thought we would bond or something. You've got John, I want a best friend too. I thought Molly and I could be weird together." Collette answered. Since moving to London she had missed what friends she had back home.

"I could be weird with you." Sherlock suggested, not seeing the importance of needing a female for a best friend.

"Well you are weird. Weird and wonderful." Collette mumbled before closing her eyes and falling silent for the rest of the trip. Sherlock smiled, he had been called many things before but he quite liked 'weird and wonderful'.

When Collette opened her eyes next she was in her bed, wearing a baggy tshirt with a glass of water beside her on the bedside table. She smiled to herself, Sherlock had even thought to wipe the makeup off her face. She forced herself up, still feeling a little unstable as she drank down the water. She hated when she drank too much but she had done so and was now faced with the unpleasant feelings in her head and stomach. Thinking back she realised that she had felt uncomfortable with Molly and John flirting; while that was perfectly fine, she was jealous that Sherlock had not shown more interest in having a fun time with her. And because she didn't know how else to act in that situation; she drank. But now guilt hit her; Sherlock was not the type of man to blend in at a pub but he took care of her when she needed him. With that thought, Collette checked the clock and wondered if he'd be ok if she snuggled into bed with him. Collette walked quietly out to her living room and did not need to go any further. Sherlock was sitting on her couch, attempting to unlock her laptop.

"Did John come home?" Collette asked, Sherlock did not notice her as his thoughts were too involved in his work. With a soft sigh, Collette walked over and sat beside him. Still, he did not notice her. So she took the laptop from him, finally catching his attention.

"You should be sleeping." Sherlock said, eyeing the laptop as she closed it and sat it down.

"I'm fine now. Did John get home ok?" Collette asked again as she moved over to her ipod and speakers.

"Yes, Molly is upstairs too." Sherlock finally answered as he watched her carefully.

"With John?" Collette asked with a raised brow.

"No, she fell asleep on the couch. But John did bring the woman from the bar home, incase you see her in the morning. What are you doing?" He asked as a soft, classical song started playing. Collette smiled over.

"You said the music at the pub wasn't your kind of music. I thought maybe this music is." Collette explained with a smile, she had started listening to some classical music due to his violin playing. Sherlock smiled at the gesture.

"Yes, I do believe this is my kind of music." He answered.

"Good, that means you can dance with me." Collette answered with a smile. With a loud groan to show his disapproval, Sherlock stood and moved close to take Collette in his arms. The odd pair stood in their respective sleepwear as Sherlock lead them in a slow, simple dance.

**Author's note: So I was able to write this up after a busy weekend. I do admit that I'm not entirely happy with the pub scene but I am happy with the ending. I suppose it is because I'm not overly social myself and don't go out much. Anyway, please review and thank you all for the support.**


	27. Mother Dearest

Sherlock paced the living room and pushed a hand into his pocket to pull out a lighter. He fondled it carefully, causing him to relax. While he was not smoking, the lighter provided release in times like this.

"Sherlock, she'll be flying in at 2. Relax." John scolded angrily. It had been two weeks of Sherlock on edge. Two weeks of hell for John. Due to Collette's higher paying job she was able to afford a trip home to Australia and that time without her sent Sherlock crazy. John hadn't noticed until the evening upon her leave that Sherlock used her as one of his stimulants. She had become his drug, his cigarettes, his nicotine. John found it fascintating to watch Sherlock show real emotions in his missing of Collette. When John had gone to visit his sister the trip had been unnoticed by Sherlock. Perhaps Sherlock took more notice of Collette's absence as she made him escort her to the airport. Or perhaps it was because Collette did things for him that neither John nor Mrs Hudson could do. Collette stroked Sherlock's ego, offered him company and affection but did not smother him and somehow tolerated his bad moods.

"I know she's arriving at 2, I am capable of telling time!" Sherlock snapped before returning to his pacing. Collette's return time was not what was bothering him.

"So, scared of meeting her mother?" John asked, knowing Sherlock had been very edgy since the call two days ago to inform them that her mum was coming to visit.

"Why would I be scared of her mother? I track down killers for a living." Sherlock replied bitterly, scared was not the word for what he was feeling.

"It's normal, really. Lots of people are scared of meeting their partner's parents. How they view you can change the way your partner views you." John said casually, knowing there was little Sherlock could do to make a good impression. At that point Mrs Hudson came in with a bag and her cleaning tray.

"Here you go Sherlock, navy blue like you asked. Now I hope you've put all the body parts away in the kitchen, wouldn't want to give Collette's mother a scare." Mrs Hudson said as she handed over the bag and went into the kitchen to start a full clean of the house. John looked over to the bag as Sherlock pulled out a navy blue shirt in his usual style. Sherlock then proceeded to remove his current shirt and to pull on the blue shirt.

"Um, did you really need to change?" John asked curiously.

"It was perfectly necessary, John." Sherlock replied casually before going to put his other shirt away. John really had no idea what the detective was thinking.

An hour later saw the house clean from top to botton. Collette's mother would be having Collette's room which was now set up for her. Collette would be sharing with Sherlock and John would be trying to keep Sherlock under control.

Collette stood in line for customs with her mum, after a very long flight the pair were exhausted. Collette checked her phone and sent a quick message to let Sherlock know that they had arrived and would likely be a while before they could actually leave.

"This has all changed since the last time I came to England." Patricia, Collette's mother said as she looked around the large room.

"Well it has been what? 35 years?" Collette asked, recalling her mum's story of visiting just before having children.

"Yvette is 36 now, and I was pregnant with her during the stay. It wasn't the best holiday for me, morning sickness all day long while your father went out drinking with his brothers. Do you hear from them much?" Patricia asked.

"Not really, when I first arrived I went to visit them all like I told you. Usually when one of the cousins come to London I'll meet them for lunch or something. It's usually Nick because we talk the most. But they've all said that if I ever need anything to let them know." Collette replied as she dragged her suitcase along in line. Her body ached, all she wanted was a hot shower.

"Now we'll have to go into different sections up here won't we?" Patricia asked as she saw the line splitting into two.

"Yep, the value of having a duel citizenship means I get to go through a shorter line. The boys are probably out in the waiting area so when I get through I'll go to the nearest cafe. I'll have a cup of tea waiting for you as soon as you get out. Want anything to eat?" Collette asked with care, guessing her mum's blood sugar could be low.

"No, but a cuppa would be lovely. I'll wait until we get to your place before I eat." Patricia replied with a smile.

"Alright, see you on the other side." Collette said with a smile before dragging her case over to her line.

Sherlock and John stood in the waiting area as people came out from customs, Sherlock rocked back and forth on his feet as he looked over the crowds of people. Sherlock loved airports. Airports were crowded, dirty and badly managed. In short; airports brought the worst out in people and Sherlock just loved that. Normally Sherlock would take his time to people watch and examine the mess of things but today he was impatient and needed to stay focused.

"There she is." John said, the first to spot a tired looking Collette dragging her purple case behind her. John waved her over and took her suitcase with a smile.

"Hey guys. Please forgive me if I smell, stuffed in a small compartment for twenty plus hours and all that." Collette said, glad to be home as she was surprised by a quick hug and kiss from Sherlock.

"Where's your mother?" Sherlock questioned, while he tried to hide it he was nervous.

"She had to go through the visiting line so she will be a bit longer. Can you mind my suitcase while I go grab some drinks?" Collette asked, fishing her wallet out of her travel bag.

"Sure, do whatever you need. What if your mum comes out while you're gone?" John asked, not wanting the older woman to get lost in the crowd.

"She's seen your photos, she'll find you if she comes out before I get back." Collette said, going off to find a cafe or snack bar. John and Sherlock moved up to the door that had visitors coming out of it.

"It's all very well for her to spot us, but it would be helpful if we knew what she looked like." John said, forgetting that he had seen a photo of her not too long ago. Sherlock did not forget of course and so put on a polite smile when the woman matching the photo came through the doors and started looking around.

"Mrs Mills?" Sherlock called out, catching the woman's attention and earning himself a smile.

"Oh you must be Sherlock and John." Patricia said with an eased smile as she moved over to meet them. John stepped forward, offering his hand but instead receiving a hug from the woman. Sherlock forced a smile and when hugged by the woman also received a kiss on the cheek. So far, so good.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Mills." Sherlock said as sincerely as he could muster, putting on a facade of charm and grace. John smiled as even the great Sherlock Holmes bowed to the pressure of trying to please his girlfriend's mother. John was personally hoping for the woman to be a nightmare and put Sherlock in his place, he would have no such luck.

"Call me Pat. Oh, and I love your shirt." Patricia replied and looked over Sherlock's shirt. Blue was her favourite colour. Sherlock smiled as he looked over to John who now understood the purpose of the shirt.

"Uh, Collette's just gone to get drinks. Maybe we should start walking to meet her?" John suggested as he took Collette's suitcase. Sherlock smiled and took Pat's suitcase for her, who seemed flattered by the gesture.

As they walked, Sherlock took his chance to examine the woman. Not much could be told by her current outfit; most people dressed for comfort on long flights. She wore many gold rings on her hands, but all looked old and well worn. They were for sentimental reasons, not for style. Her hair was much shorter than Collette's. Most likely the mother of five and grandmother of seven was on the go a lot and went for function over fasion. No earrings or necklaces either, which backed up his theory. She carried a travel bag and a handbag, both were large. If Pat shared the same habit as her daughter, she most likely had every little item someone could need in her handbag.

"Oh, there she is. Darl! Over here!" Pat called out to her daughter who was returning with a hot cup of tea and a bottle of coke.

"They only had full cream milk." Collette said as she handed over the tea.

"Oh well, I'll make do." Pat replied with a smile as she dug through her handbag and pulled out a pack of straws for Collette. Sherlock's suspicions were correct.

Soon Collette was spread out on her small couch as Pat looked around the basement flat. Sherlock stood and observed the older woman carefully and made sure not to say anything that could be considered offensive. John had gone out to the store to pick up a few things and Mrs Hudson had disappeared again, most likely to the sandwich shop. Collette smiled over to Sherlock as her mum went to inspect the bathroom.

"You've barely said two words." She said, finding it cute how behaved Sherlock was trying to be.

"I wouldn't want to offend your mother, you know I tend to do that." Sherlock replied as he moved closer to Collette.

"You don't need to worry. Mum is a lot like me and I've told her what you're like. You won't upset her or anything and if you do then I'll hit you, so you'll know." Collette said with a smile.

"You have the nicest hand soap." Pat said as she returned from the bathroom, making Collette laugh.

"Why do you find all the strangest things nice? The clock in the kitchen and the lamp in the bedroom, now the soap." Collette said.

"Well, it's just what I like." Pat replied, not seeing anything wrong with enjoying the small things.

"Ok, well I'll let you settle in and stuff. I'm going to shower upstairs." Collette said as she forced herself up.

"I might lay down for forty-winks. Wake me for dinner?" She replied.

"Ok mum. Make yourself at home." Collette replied before going to grab some pajamas from her bedroom. She didn't care if it was the middle of the day, she was tired.

"Enjoy your rest, Pat." Sherlock said, cursing himself afterwards for sounding so fake. Collette walked upstairs with him and looked over.

"If you don't relax now, you'll drive yourself insane by the time she leaves." Collette said with a smile.

"I am well aware." Sherlock grumbled. Collette smiled and leaned over, placing a soft kiss on Sherlock's cheek.

"I missed you." She confessed. Sherlock smiled and gave a small nod, showing that he felt the same.


	28. Mother Dearest pt II

Sherlock woke slowly with a smile. Collette was back, her smell filled his nostrils as he laid beside her. The warmth of her body could be felt although they were not touching. He could hear the soft sounds she made while sleeping. Sherlock knew that love was just a chemical defect, but actually experiencing it was something entirely; he enjoyed it. While something like this would have caused him to be uneasy; he had faith in Collette and knew that she would not hurt him.

Collette was sound asleep. Despite having traveled long distances a lot in her lifetime; flying still wore her out. Sherlock let her sleep as he got up to shower and dress. While he would have rather slept in, he did have a minor case to do. John called them the cases that 'paid the bills'. The dull, easy to solve with some legwork required cases.

It was eleven when Sherlock and John returned from the dull, now solved, case. Sherlock removed his large thick black coat and hung it up by the door before walking upstairs, wondering if Collette was awake yet. His question was answered as he entered the living room to see Collette in her baggy tshirt and pj shorts sitting in his chair, lazily eating sugary cereal. The sight sent him back to her first few months with them, when she would purposely sit in his chair to annoy him. His mental image of those times differed from the image he saw before him now as Pat, Collette's beloved mother; sat in Collette's chair in her nightie and dressing gown, eating toast. Sherlock smiled as he noted that both women wore matching bedhead and seemed glued to a tv show about interior design.

"Morning." Sherlock said loudly, announcing his presence. Collette and Pat smiled over.

"Morning, out on a case?" Collette asked casually, she was used to him disappearing to fight crime by now.

"Just finishing up, actually." John answered as he stepped into the room.

"Stopping serial killers and all that, then?" Pat asked with interest, she had been filled in a long time ago about Sherlock's career choice.

"Mm, no sadly. Nothing like that has happened for a while. This one was about a rape." Sherlock said in a bored tone. Collette looked over with a raised brow.

"I've never known you to take a case like that." She commented.

"Well no, not usually as it is typically a very open and shut case. Then there's also the fact that I've been told I can't show much understanding with victims. Wouldn't want to upset anyone that's already been through enough." Sherlock admitted, for once showing some self-awareness and knowing that dealing with traumatised victims was not his strong suit.

"So what was different about this one?" Collette asked with interest.

"A man claimed a woman drugged and raped him." Sherlock said as he moved over to take John's chair, leaving John to take the desk chair.

"Ok, but I'm sure that does happen. Just because it's not as talked doesn't mean that men can't be victims too. Wouldn't it also be an open and shut case?" Collette asked.

"Our client was not the man, but the woman. It was clear to me that she was not a predator." Sherlock explained.

"Well wouldn't most predators be able to appear innocent? That's how they'd get away with it." Pat said, not knowing just how skilled Sherlock was.

"Mum, trust me on this. If Sherlock says she was innocent then she was innocent. He knows his stuff." Collette said, causing Sherlock to smile.

"It's true but we did do the work and get the evidence. She was innocent of the charges laid against her. But she was guilty of something else." Sherlock replied. Collette leaned in with interest.

"Yes? What is it then?" She asked, always enjoying his stories.

"Adultery." John answered, getting a glare from Sherlock for stealing his thunder.

"Yes. She was cheating on her husband with this man but he wanted more. He came out with the rape story after she refused to leave her husband for him." Sherlock finished.

"But even if she was innocent of rape, her husband would have found out she had been cheating on him." Pat said.

"Yes, but fixing that relationship is not my problem. I kept her out of prison, my work is done." Sherlock said, not showing any care for his client.

"Well, serves her right. Cheating is never the answer." Pat replied firmly, showing her opinion on the matter before returning to her breakfast.

"While we're on the subject of marriages. Why didn't your dad come out, Collette? I mean he was born in England, I would of thought he'd visit." John asked curiously as Sherlock went to take notes down on the case.

"He's stubborn. He doesn't like to travel and refused to leave the dog, so he'd rather stay home. I suppose it's for the best, if he came and saw his family he'd end up crying like a baby." Pat answered with a smile.

"Yeah, dad is the emotional one in the family." Collette commented with a laugh.

"Speaking of the family, we should probably organise a trip to Dudley. Can't visit without going to see them." Pat said.

"I've got tomorrow off before I go back to work so I'll hire a car and drive us up." Collette said with a smile.

"Ah, sounds fun." Sherlock added in, seeing this as a chance to learn more about Collette. She looked over with a serious look.

"Um, are you sure? My family on dad's side are pretty much all big loud men." Collette replied, not thinking Sherlock would get along with them. She herself did not visit them often due to that fact.

"No, no. I insist. You've met Mycroft so I should meet your family." Sherlock argued.

"Yes but I like Mycroft. And you've met mum. So we're even." Collette debated. Sherlock sighed, ignoring her response about Mycroft.

"It would be unfair if to meet the rest of your family I must introduce you to mine as Mycroft is the only family I have." Sherlock replied, catching the attention of both women.

"What about your parents?" Pat questioned.

"Dead." Sherlock replied simply. Pat gave him a look before walking over to give him a hug. Sherlock allowed the woman to hold him for a moment, noting that Collette had reacted the same way when he told her that his mother was no longer alive. When Collette had hugged him for the loss of his mother, he did not completely understand. Now that Sherlock had Collette, John and Mrs Hudson; he understood the value of family.

"You can come then, just be prepared." Collette said after her mum had let him go. She felt nervous, wondering if Sherlock could handle her large, crazy family.

Collette sat behind the steering wheel as she drove Sherlock, her mother and herself to Dudley. Luckily for Collette, they would only be visiting two households today. Her uncle Lenny and his wife, relatively easy to handle. And her aunt Dianne, her husband and son, not so easy to handle. It was Collette's cousin that worried her most; he was the type of person who would punch Sherlock rather than be impressed by him.

"Maybe we should stop and get something to eat before we get there..." Collette suggested, thinking if they arrived around lunch time that they would be asked to stay longer. Collette loved her family but she knew that she was the odd one out. Her family was large, loud and held nothing back. She loved those things about her family but she was the quiet, awkward type and knew that she did not fit in that well with them. Collette also knew that Sherlock would stand out a lot more than her. It worried her to think that Sherlock might judge her badly based on her family.

"We just had breakfast darl, we'll eat when we get there." Pat replied, putting Collette's hopes for a quick visit to rest.

"Right, of course." Collette said quietly. Sherlock looked from the back seat, Collette had been acting strangely all day. Was she embarrassed for him to meet her family? She had been attempting to put him off joining them since he mentioned coming. Collette's behaviour caused Sherlock to deduce that she must believe he would embarrass her. Sherlock knew that she always proved him wrong and that it would be best to wait and see what the day held for him.

**Author's note: Hey all, sorry for the slight delay in posting. I've been working for the past few days, my job is out of town so I basically leave at 7am and get home at 6.30pm. By the time I get home, writing just seems too tiring. Now I'm almost out of ideas for storylines, so if you have any please let me know. I can't write if I have nothing to write about. Also, while Collette's mum is visiting; is there anything you'd like to see? Maybe some mother time with Sherlock. Please let me know what you think in the reviews. As always, thanks for the support.**


	29. Mother Dearest pt III

Sherlock sat uncomfortably on the couch in the living room of Collette's aunt and uncle's house. Pat was in a deep conversation about her husband's childhood with the aunt and uncle in the kitchen as Collette listened to her cousin talk about his job. Neither concersations were of interest to Sherlock and so he was forced to sit with Collette and try not to insult anyone as best he could.

"So, you two are probably gonna have kids soon huh? You're living together and all that." Doug, Collette's cousin, said out of no where.

"What? No!" Collette replied all too quickly, catching Sherlock's attention.

"You don't want children?" Sherlock questioned.

"Not anytime soon. Why, do you?" Collette asked in disbelief, while she cared about Sherlock dearly she did not see him as the fatherly type.

"I have no current desire to, no. I merely asked for curiousity sake." Sherlock replied, giving Collette a chance to relax.

"Lucky you. My girlfriend keeps hinting it out, no way I'm having kids. I'd prefer screwing like rabbits, you know what I mean?" Doug asked with a grin. Sherlock wrinkled his nose in response.

"No, thank you." Sherlock replied, causing Doug to laugh.

"What, is my cousin here a bit of a fridget one?" He asked.

"Something like that." Collette answered quickly. Doug was not the type of man who would understand Sherlock and Collette's unique relationship. Sherlock looked over to Collette in confusion.

"You've never denied me, I would hardly register you as fridget." Sherlock said seriously, anytime they had been kissing or sharing affection Collette had been very welcoming. Doug laughed again seeing the embarrassed look on Collette's face.

"Hey it's alright, I wish my girlfriend was more like that. You must be at it every night." Doug said.

"Sorry, at what?" Sherlock asked, finding this entire conversation to be confusing.

"You posh boys. Sex mate, I'm talking sex." Doug answered with an amused smile.

"Oh. No, I refrain from that sort of time wasting." Sherlock replied dismissively. Doug let out a chuckle in disbelief.

"What? You don't have sex?" He asked to clarify what he had just been told.

"Mm, no." Sherlock said bluntly, leaving Collette to get nervous over how the conversation would continue.

"I can't believe it! You're what, 30 years old and you don't have sex!" Doug shouted out with a laugh. Collette looked down uncomfortably, she had no idea how to respond to Doug's outburst. Sherlock noticed Collette's reaction and took her hand.

"And you're 33 years old and still living with your parents." Sherlock replied in his usual offensive tone.

"Lots of people live at home, never met anyone who doesn't have sex at your age." Doug replied angrily.

"Perhaps, but now you have. What happens between Collette and I in the bedroom is none of your concern." Sherlock said seriously. The discussion was too much for Collette to handle, with a whispered apology she stood up and made her way outside. She had known this would happen and was not equip to deal with it. Collette wasn't sure how long she had been standing outside before she felt a large hand on her back, looking up she saw Sherlock standing beside her, facing the same direction she was.

"Believe it or not, I don't actually care what people think of me. I am what I am and I do not intend to change that for the sake of strangers." Sherlock said in an attempt to comfort his girlfriend. Collette smiled up to him.

"I wish I was as strong as you. I can't stand people treating me like I'm different, but I also can't stand being normal either. So sometimes these things happen to me and I just can't handle it." Collette explained as she looked to her shoes.

"If sex were so important to you, I could make an effort to-" Sherlock started.

"No. Sex is not important. You are important and I do not want you to change yourself, even if it's for me." Collette said firmly. She knew Sherlock was a virgin, she would never forgive herself if he slept with her only to make her happy. The day when they would be together would be for Sherlock and she would not rush that.

"Very well, your mother is just saying goodbye. I understand that you're embarassed but it would only make it worse if you don't go and say goodbye as well." Sherlock said, catching Collette by surprise.

"Since when did you know about facing embarrassing situations?" Collette questioned.

"I understand a lot of things." Sherlock replied with a small smile. He often read women's magazines for his studies, this was a topic he was familiar with.

"Alright, I'll force a goodbye and then we'll head home." Collette gave in with a sigh.

Soon Collette soaked in the tub after the drive home. She was just as embarrassed saying goodbye but sucked it up and got through it. Now she could relax and forget about what had happened.

Pat came over with a smile and two cups of tea. She sat down and placed the two cups on the small coffee table. Sherlock looked up from his laptop, realising that this was the first time he had been left alone with Collette's mother.

"Don't worry about her too much, Collette has always been like that. Even as a little girl, instead of throwing a tantrum or getting angry she would just remove herself from the situation. I remember once when she was a teenager we got into a fight and she didn't talk to me for three days." Pat said with a smile, thinking back on old memories.

"I suppose Doug told you what it was all about then?" Sherlock asked. Pat had not brought it up in the car, most likely for Collette's sake.

"He did." Pat answered.

"And it does not bother you?" Sherlock asked again.

"Not at all. Besides, it's none of my business anyway. As long as you treat Collette right, I'm happy. Honestly, I think it's a nice change to see a man who isn't obsessed with it." Pat answered honestly. Sherlock smiled and went silent for a while to think, he should be using this time to find out more about Collette.

"Are your other children like Collette?" Sherlock questioned, knowing that a lot of people considered him like Mycroft.

"Not at all. All my kids have very different personalities and they clash." Pat answered, drinking her tea.

"I see, I suppose you have a lot of stories about her growing up though right?" Sherlock asked in a somewhat lighthearted manner in hopes of getting more information. This was all he had to ask in order to get all the information he could want, Pat was a woman who took her position of mother and grandmother with great pride which meant she had a lot to tell.

Collette walked upstairs to the sound of loud cackling. She reconised the sound straight away; her mum. Then, she heard the soft chuckle of Sherlock and immediately something was wrong. Her mum and boyfriend laughing together? It was not possible.

"And that's when she fell over in the supermarket, her skirt flying up. I don't think I've ever seen her move faster than when she thought people could see her knickers!" Pat laughed, finishing another story. Collette stood in the doorway looking mortified.

"Mum!" Collette snapped, going red as it was clear it wasn't the only story her mum had told.

"Come now, Collette. You and Mycroft exchange stories all the time, it's only fair that I get to hear some stories too." Sherlock said with a smirk. The next few weeks would prove to be torture for Collette.

The next two weeks flew by. Pat was a well loved member of the little Baker street family. The whole group took her to the airport when it was time to go. Mrs Hudson promised to keep in touch with the other older woman and Collette cried silently in the cab on the way home as Sherlock held her hand.

"Maybe next time, I'll go visit with you." Sherlock said quietly to Collette.

"I'd like that." Collette replied, smiling softly.

**Author's note: Hey all, sorry for the shorter chapters and less frequent updates lately. I've been very busy with work and it's the only way I can keep writing. I won't be updating this weekend as I'll be out of town. As always, please review!**


	30. The Other Woman

**Author's note: Ok people, I'm bringing in Irene Adler! Now this storyline won't be the same as the episode for obvious reasons. As always, please show your support by reviewing and I hope you enjoy reading.**

Collette arrived at work with a soft sigh as she went to make Mycroft's morning cup to tea. How did she end up being the one to look after both the Holmes boys? In the few months she had been working for Mycroft, she had discovered that his 'diet' was much the same as Sherlock's: skipping meals because other things were more important. That discovery lead Collette to take charge of not only Sherlock's eating habits but Mycroft's as well. With the tea tray made up of sandwiches and biscuits, Collette went into Mycroft's office with the expectation that today would be just like any other.

"Good morning Mycroft, tea's ready and I have the paper for-" Collette announced as she entered the room only to fall as she spotted another man standing with Mycroft.

"Ah, Collette. Just the girl we were waiting for." Mycroft said with a fake smile. She could tell he was playing his part for the man in front of them.

"You were waiting for me?" She questioned, sitting down the tray.

"Yes, you're needed for a special case." Mycroft said, signalling for her to sit down and let him explain.

Sherlock yawned loudly as he wandered out from the kitchen to the desk in nothing but his sheet. John had left a while ago on his task for their current case. A dull case, which was the reason John was out while Sherlock enjoyed his sleep in. He didn't like Collette working so often, as he had become accustomed to waking up to her. Sherlock opened his laptop while ruffling his hair to wake himself, he was soon connected to John via video chat. Their investigation did not last long as an unamed escort came for Sherlock. John would soon to be picked up as well.

John walked into the lavish waiting room to find Sherlock sitting on the sofa, wrapped in his sheet. With a cautious look around, he sat on the other end of the sofa, he was all too used to ending up in strange situations.

"You wearing any pants?" John questioned.

"Mmm, no." Sherlock answered, causing both the boys to laugh.

"We're in Buckingham palace, I'm seriously fighting the impulse to steal an ashtray." John said after they had settled, causing more laughter. Soon after their joking, Mycroft walked into the room to find them giggling.

"Just once, can you two behave like grown ups?" Mycroft asked bitterly, having walked in to be the butt of Sherlock's joke.

"We solve crimes, I blog about it and he forgets his pants so I wouldn't hold out too much hope." John replied with a smirk.

"I was in the middle of a case, Mycroft." Sherlock said seriously, looking around.

"What, the hiker and the backfire? I've glanced at the police report, bit obvious really." Mycroft replied.

"Transparent." Sherlock responded.

"Time to move on then." Mycroft said, picking up the neatly folded pile of clothes for Sherlock and offered it to him, only to be refused. "Very well, I thought this might happen, Collette!" Mycroft called, signalling for Collette to enter the room and give Sherlock a look.

"Let me just say, I did not agree to this." Collette said, having not wanted to get involved.

"I assumed you would not be willing to play along so I've asked Collette to keep an eye on you. Now, Sherlock Holmes, put your trousers on." Mycroft said seriously.

"For what?" Sherlock asked once more, proving to be just as stubborn as his brother.

"Your client." Mycroft answered as another man entered the room. The man explained that the client would remain anonymous for security reasons.

"Mycroft, I don't do anonymous clients. I'm used to having mystery at one end of my work, both ends is too much work. Good morning." Sherlock said before walking away in his sheet. Mycroft moved his foot ever so slightly to catch the end of Sherlock's sheet.

"This is a matter of national importance. Grow up!" Mycroft said angrily.

"Get off my sheet!" Sherlock shouted, covering himself with what he could.

"Or what?" Mycroft challenged.

"Or I'll just walk away." Sherlock said.

"I'll let you." Mycroft replied, daring the younger Holmes. This was where Collette would have to step in.

"Boys, stop it!" Collette said in a motherly tone, one that both commanded respect and let everyone know that she was disappointed in the behaviour she was witnessing.

"Who is my client?!" Sherlock shouted, taking a stand.

"Take a look at where you're standing and make a deduction. You're to be engaged by the highest in the land, now for god's sake! Put your clothes on." Mycroft shouted angrily.

Soon Sherlock was dressed and sitting down to tea. Collette sat between him and John, shifting uncomfortably. This was not her job, she should not be babysitting her boyfriend but somehow she would be soon enough. Mycroft and the man now known as 'Harry' explained the case to Sherlock and John. Collette had already been briefed, somehow the entire concept of Irene Adler made her nervous.

"There are many names for what she does, she prefers: dominatrix." Mycroft said in his business tone.

"Dominatrix." Sherlock said to himself, examining Irene's photos.

"Don't be alarmed, it's to do with sex." Mycroft said, seeing his chance to make fun of his brother as always.

"Sex doesn't alarm me." Sherlock replied quickly. Mycroft smiled and gave a small chuckle, keeping eye contact with Sherlock.

"How would you know?" Mycroft said with a smirk. Sherlock looked down to Collette who shifted more in her seat.

The boys continued to discuss the case, giving details that Sherlock filed away quickly. He refused the case until it was revealed that Miss Adler did not want money or favors, but instead was using the photos as a power play. This caught Sherlock's interest and with that he and John were off to work on the case. Collette looked over to Mycroft for a moment.

"Well? Go with him. Until this case is settled you are at his disposal, just make sure he stays on track." Mycroft said seriously, sending Collette running after Sherlock.

Collette soon sat between her boys in the cab ride home for Sherlock to get organised, something didn't feel right about all this.

"I don't want to be your keeper, Sherlock." Collette said quietly, looking to the detective.

"I already know that. Mycroft is just using you to make a point, none the less it worked well in my favor because now I've got you for the case." Sherlock replied with a smile.

"I never told him anything about our sex life." Collette added in, worried that Sherlock might think she had been gossiping about them.

"Or lack of one." John added in quietly.

"I'm also aware of that too. Mycroft has some powers of deduction like myself, I'm sure he's simply been watching you more closely than you know." Sherlock said, giving Collette's hand a gentle pat to reassure her.

"How did you know about the smoking?" John asked, still interested to know how Sherlock had worked out the royal in question was a smoker. Sherlock smirked as he withdrew an ashtray from his coat, causing all three to laugh.

"I hope you got one for me too." Collette commented as the all too knowing detective withdrew a second ashtray.

"I wouldn't forget you." He replied, handing her the sculpted glass dish.

"Good boy." Collette replied, kissing the detective's cheek.

John sat in his room and typed away at his blog as Sherlock went through his extensive costume collection. Collette sat on John's bed in wait, relaxing before the case truly began. She imagined constant running and being thrown around like a rag doll, which usually happened when Sherlock had her join him.

"Collette, come try this on!" Sherlock called from his room. And so it had begun. Collette sighed and walked into his room and examined the female costume.

"When did you get this?" She questioned.

"Well, after our first date I realised my serious lack of clothing for a female partner. So I got a few things in advance." Sherlock explained as Collette looked through his wardrobe and discovered he had a small collection of outfits in her size.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd swear you were kinky." Collette replied as she started undressing to change into his selected outfit.

Soon Collette stood in an empty street, two blocks away from Irene Adler's. She wore a full nun's habit, head wear and all. Her hands were placed together and she looked quite at peace as she watched her boys wrestle around on the pavement. Any normal girlfriend would be against her man being punched but Sherlock had hit John first and had openly asked for it. Somehow she knew that she if she tried to separate them, she would be the one being hurt most.

With a bloodied cheek and his clerical collar in place, Sherlock made his plea at the door of Irene Adler. Collette stood back a little and mentally went over her alias. She had to admit that Sherlock acting like a scared puppy made her smile but when the door opened her stomach knotted. It was time to meet the woman behind the case.


	31. The Other Woman pt II

Collette was ushered into what looked like the living room as she sat beside Sherlock. John had been shown to the kitchen to get some first aid supplies. Sherlock looked around the room but was unable to deduce much yet. With a gentle hand, Collette turned Sherlock by the chin to examine the cut.

"It looks ok." She said with relief. Sherlock smiled before going into character as he heard approaching footsteps.

"I'm sorry to hear about your face." Came the confident voice of Irene Adler as she walked into the room completely naked.

"It's quite alright, I-" Sherlock stopped speaking as he saw the naked woman. Collette was left speechless, she knew the woman worked in adult services but to let unsuspecting strangers see her so exposed was strange.

"What was your name?" Irene asked, not even batting an eye at the stares, seeming to actually enjoy the attention. "It's hard to remember an alias when you've had a scare, isn't it?" She asked again as she moved over.

"I, uh..." Sherlock started as Irene moved in and pulled the clerical collar from his shirt.

"There, now we're both defrocked." Irene said, completely in control of the situation. Collette stomach twisted in what she knew must be jealousy, she found herself silently wishing for Sherlock to push the woman away in disgust but he merely continued to stare.

"Oh, I could cut myself hitting those cheekbones. Would you like me to try?" Irene said, she was playing and enjoying the result. She moved closer to Sherlock and bit his clerical collar, almost making Collette sick in rage and discomfort. John walked in with a bowl of water a cloth to clean Sherlock's cut.

"Did I miss something?" John asked, staring at the naked woman in the room. Collette could not be anymore thankful that John always walked in on such events. Irene backed away and took a seat in the arm chair nearby.

"Please, sit down. Or if you'd like some tea I can call the maid." Irene said, still completely confident as she crossed her legs. Sherlock regained himself at this point as he tried to analyse the woman. Collette looked over to him and noticed that he had yet to look at her since Irene had walked into the room, she knew it was pointless to get upset or jealous but those feelings came to her none the less.

"I had some at the palace." Sherlock said, having worked out quickly that Irene was playing with them.

"I know." She replied with a smile.

"Clearly." Sherlock said with a straight face as he tried to read her.

"I had tea too at the palace... if anyone's interested." John said a little awkwardly, getting the sense that he was not wanted in the room. Sherlock took his time, looking back between Irene and John. He could read John with ease but he came up short with Irene.

"Do you know the big problem with a disguise, Mr Holmes? However hard you try, it's always a self portrait." Irene said. While Sherlock could see nothing with this woman, Collette could see too much. Irene was the strong, confident woman who could make other women feel lacking in comparison. While she was not particularly stunning or beautiful, she could grab the attention of men with ease.

"You think I'm a vicar with a bleeding face?" Sherlock questioned, holding back for now until he could better understand the woman in front of him.

"No, I think you're damaged, delusional and believe in a higher power. In your case, it's yourself. And somebody loves you, well if I had to punch that face I would avoid your nose and teeth too." Irene said as she looked over to John who gave a fake laugh.

"Could you put something on, please?" John asked.

"Why, are you feeling exposed?" Irene asked with a smile before finally looking over to Collette with a wicked smile.

"What?" Collette found herself asking defensively.

"Well he disguised you, didn't he Collette?" She asked, making Collette more uncomfortable with the fact that she knew her name.

"Yes." Collette said too quickly.

"A nun? Very fitting. My guess, he wants to shield you away from the rest of the world, keep you pure and untainted but he also wants you to follow him blindly. Personally I think you need to tear off those garments of oppression and have some fun, I could help you with that if you like. You're just my type, a scared little rabbit that needs a firm hand for guidance." Irene said with a smirk, making Collette shift uncomfortably. Collette silently screamed at herself for letting this woman toy with her so easily.

"I don't think John knows where to look." Sherlock cut in, handing the woman his coat.

"I think he knows exactly where to look. Not too sure about you though." Irene said as she slipped it on, keeping the air of grace and confidence about her high.

"If I wanted to look at naked women I would borrow John's laptop." Sherlock said, still having yet to look at Collette.

"You do borrow my laptop." John said defensively.

"Must make for a boring lover then, your pretty little girlfriend must be starved for attention. Not to worry, I'm sure I can think of a few ways to fix that." Irene said as she walked over to the sofa and sat close byside the very nervous Collette. Sherlock was standing at this point, leaving Collette alone for the dominatrix to toy with.

It was Sherlock though, who would be the one to toy with Collette the most as he and Irene began talking. It was clear that Sherlock was showing off, he always did, but it was the fact that he mumbled his words after Irene made a few flirtatious comments that caught Collette off. Did he really not know what he was doing to her? With a few more brief words, Sherlock was able to work out that the photos in question were in the living room.

"John, man the door. Make sure no one comes in." Sherlock ordered as John stood to leave, Collette could not handle anymore and moved to follow John. Sherlock finally looked over to her in confusion but said nothing as she walked out behind John and closed the door. Once outside of that room Collette removed her head piece and took a long breath. John looked around and grabbed a magazine for the next step.

"Are you alright?" John asked seriously. Unlike Sherlock, John could see that Collette was shaken.

"I'm fine." Collette answered in a deadly tone, the same tone that every woman took when she was in fact not fine. John decided for now, it was best to leave it. They had a job to do.

"Stay by the door." John said as he lit the magazine and found the nearest smoke alarm to set off. Sherlock could be heard calling out for John to turn off the alarm, John never got the chance to as three armed men moved down the staircase and shot the alarm. Collette did as John did, putting her hands up and moving into the living room once more behind John.

"Sorry Sherlock." John said quietly as he, Collette and Irene were ordered onto the floor.

"Mr Holmes, unlock the safe." The American man ordered with a gun pointed at the detective.

"She hasn't told me the code." Sherlock argued with his hands behind his head.

"We just heard you, she told you the code. Enter the code." The man ordered again.

"I don't know it." Sherlock said angrily.

"Alright, Mr Archer on the count of three shoot the little nun in the head." The man said, making Collette's heart race more than it already was.

"I don't know it! I don't know the code!" Sherlock shouted, showing panic.

"3..." The man started.

"Alright, alright, stop!" Sherlock shouted, giving the man what he wanted as he typed in the code. With a quick glance to the side, Irene indicated that the safe was a trap. Sherlock smiled and shouted as he opened the safe.

"Vatican cameos!" Sherlock shouted, John knew this well and grabbed Collette as he threw themselves to the ground. In that one quick movement, Irene elbowed one man in the groin and grabbed his gun as Sherlock took out the man in charge.

"Do you mind?" Sherlock asked Irene as he quickly grabbed the phone from the safe.

"Not at all." Irene replied as she hit the one conscious man in the back of the head with her gun. Sherlocked moved over to Collette as John helped her up.

"Are you alright?" Sherlock asked, checking Collette over.

"I'm ok." Collette said honestly, feeling Sherlock's hand on her arm. It wasn't much but it was enough to steady her. She was strangely getting used to these types of situations.

"He's dead." John said quietly after checking the vitals of the man hit but the bullet from the safe.

"Thank you, you were very... observant." Irene said finally in a suggestive manner.

"Observant?" John questioned.

"I'm flattered." Irene said, looking over to Sherlock.

"Don't be." Sherlock said, locking eyes with Irene. The manner in which they were talking, the intense look, it was too much for Collette and once more she was uncomfortable.

"Flattered?" John questioned again, not keeping up. Collette wasn't sure what it meant either but knew something was wrong.

"There will be more of them, they'll be keeping an eye on the building." Sherlock said as he ran out, avoiding the question in the process. Collette followed him outside with John, wanting to know more but not daring to ask. Sherlock shot a few bullets into the air outside the front door, a quick and easy way of having the police show up.

Sherlock returned to the living room to say his final words to Irene. Collette followed John instead as he checked out the rest of the house, she didn't want to see or know what was happening between the two. Everything about that woman threw her off.

"John, in here." Collette called as she entered the main bedroom to find the woman who had answered the door to them on the floor. John came in and checked her vitals.

"She's fine. Sherlock!" John called. Soon Sherlock and Irene were up and looking around.

"The must have come in here. She's alright, she's out cold." John explained once that arrived.

"Well god knows she is used to that. There's a back door. Better check it Dr Watson." Irene said as she moved over to her drawers. John went off to do as he was told.

"You're very calm, your booby trap did just kill a man." Sherlock said as he checked the window.

"He would have killed me, it was self defense. Collette dear, the bathroom is right through there. You may want to freshen up after your little scare." Irene said, pointing to the door across the hallway. Collette frowned, wondering why she was the only one being called by first name as she made her way to the bathroom. Obviously Irene wanted to see Sherlock privately, Collette could tell when she was not wanted.

With a sigh, Collette ran the water and washer her face before examining herself in the lavish mirror. It was the sound of Sherlock dropped to the floor that caught Collette attention as she returned to the room quickly to find Irene by the window and Sherlock on the floor, spasming. Collette ran over to Sherlock and dropped to her knees.

"What the hell have you done to him, you bitch!" Collette snapped, her protective instincts taking over. Irene smiled at the outburst.

"Oh, the little rabbit has claws. You'll be more fun than I thought." Irene said with a smile. John entered the room and moved over to Sherlock.

"Jesus, what have you done to him?" John said, looking at the shaking Sherlock.

"Don't worry, he'll sleep for a few hours. Just make sure he doesn't choke on his own vomit." Irene said with a smile.

"What's this? What have you given him?" John questioned as he picked up the small needle.

"He'll be fine. I've used it on loads of my friends." Irene said calmly.

"Sherlock, can you hear me?" John said, examining his friend. Collette moved to let John look him over. She stood and stared over at the woman by the window.

"You know, I was wrong about him. He did know where to look." Irene said, not she was just causing trouble.

"For what? What are you saying?" John asked.

"The key code to my safe." Irene said.

"What was it?" Collette questioned, not liking the tone of Irene's voice.

"Shall I tell her? Might make her jealous." Irene asked, looking to Sherlock on the floor as he groaned.

"My measurements." Irene said in a deadly tone as she disappeared out the window. Collette would hurt later but right now her main priority was Sherlock's well being. He was still on the floor, mumbling and groaning.

"She's gone." John said as he looked out the window. The sound of police alarms could be heard.

Soon, Sherlock was in his own bed, sleeping after a difficult ride. Collette sat on the bed and pushed his hair back gently in a soothing manner. She had been through a lot that day, too many emotions had worked their way through her system. But none of that mattered when she saw Sherlock on the floor.

"How're you doing?" John asked as he came to the door way.

"I'm fine." Collette said quietly.

"No really, how are you doing? Sherlock won't see it but I'm used to hearing the 'I'm fine' routine from women. You're not fine. Everything that happened today would have hurt you." John said firmly, trying to be a friend to both Collette and Sherlock. It would be better for the both of them if Collette got everything off her chest before Sherlock woke up.

"No really, I am fine. Sherlock is a foolish, inconsiderate man and today he was even more foolish and inconsiderate than usual, but I love him. When I saw him on the floor, I feared the worst and then I knew. This man is far from perfect but I love him and I wouldn't want anything to happen to him." Collette said honestly as she looked up to John.

"Well, even if you are fine. Go and have a shower, get comfortable. I'll be in my room so I'll keep an ear out for him." John said supportively with a smile. Collette gave in, knowing a shower would be wonderful. After placing a soft kiss on Sherlock's forehead, she headed down to her flat to take a break.

Sherlock woke after a strange dream involving Irene Adler. He moved from his bed and stumbled around the room.

"John! John!" Sherlock shouted. John was soon as the door.

"What is it Sherlock?" John asked.

"The woman, where's that woman?!" Sherlock shouted.

"Which woman?" John questioned, Sherlock had already mumbled some strange things on the way home.

"The woman! Adler!" Sherlock shouted as he fell to the floor. John sighed and moved over to pick the detective up.

"She's gone. She's not here. Get some sleep." John said as he let Sherlock's body fall onto the bed.

"Collette? Where's my Collette?" Sherlock mumbled into his pillow, she was just with him. He could still remember her talking, what had she been saying?

"Collette's having a shower, she'll be back soon. You need to rest." John explained calmly.

"She's angry, she's angry with me John." Sherlock said again, he had been too involved in the case at the time but he was able to pick up some of the emotions coming from Collette.

"She's alright, just rest. You can deal with it later." John said as Sherlock drifted back to sleep.

Collette got out of the shower, feeling better but guessing she would be upset again in the morning. She heard the soft beep on her phone as she towel dried her hair. Guessing that it was Mycroft checking in, she walked out to her small but homely living room to check her text.

"Sleep well, Collette. I am a fox among women and soon I will have you, my little rabbit." The message read. Collette frowned, there was only one person that text could be from and she did not like what it was implying.

**Author's note: Let the games begin. I think the fox/rabbit line was a bit too cheesy and over the top but I liked it. I very much see Irene Adler as a fox, a confident predator where as against her, Collette is quite helpless. Let me know what you think, is there anything you'd like to see happen between Irene, Sherlock or Collette? Please review!**


	32. The Other Woman pt III

Collette sat on the end of her bed, trying to find the motivation to get ready for work. For the first time in a long time, she had not shared a bed with Sherlock. Collette was upset but she did not completely know why. She wondered if she would be joining Sherlock and John again for the case but found herself hoping for Mycroft instead. Sherlock obviously wouldn't need her pushing him to take the case, he was already interested. The day before, Irene had made an impression on everyone that would not soon be forgot. Collette looked over to her phone and frowned, she had already received a good morning text from the woman. Did Sherlock and John receive similar texts? Collette didn't dare to ask. If any other woman were to show Sherlock attention, Collette would treat it very differently because she knew Sherlock would not stray. Irene was a different case. Irene was smart, interesting and confident. She was something very new to Sherlock; a real challenge. A small fear crossed her mind: what if Sherlock got bored with her and moved on to Irene? It was one of many fears that were brought up by Collette's experience with Irene Adler.

Collette undressed to get changed into her work outfit, she looked herself over in the mirror. Why couldn't she hold herself the way Irene had held herself? When all eyes were on her; Irene had as much elegance and confidence as a woman dressed in the most expensive clothes anyone could buy. Alone and in front of a mirror; Collette shied away. Collette saw flaws about herself, which only made her feel weaker and more insecure. So Collette thought of the only thing that would make her feel better: sexy underwear. No one else would know she had it on, it would be her secret little confidence booster. With that, Collette got dressed in her regular, boring work clothes and headed upstairs to face the boys and to join them for breakfast.

John sat at the table and ate his breakfast of eggs on toast as Mycroft stood and argued with Sherlock over the unacquired photos. Sherlock had failed to make true of his word to have the photos back to them within the day. There was only so much Mycroft could handle and he was not in a good mood. Collette walked into the room in a black suit with a plum shirt beneath the blazer. Mycroft sighed for all to hear.

"I told you not to wear purple to work. And you were supposed to keep him in line, you couldn't even do that for me!" Mycroft snapped bitter. Collette gave him a warning look that made all three men uncomfortable. Mycroft was Collette's boss but today was not the day to be trying her patience.

"Good morning." Collette said before taking her seat at the table and buttering some toast. Mycroft saw that this was not a friendly greeting but instead her way of correcting him.

"Good morning." He replied, surprised that she could pull him up so easily.

"Are you alright?" Sherlock asked, not one to usually show concern but Collette's behaviour was strange.

"I'm fine." Collette answered, leaving John to realise that she was not.

"It's perfectly acceptable to be shaken, you did have a gun to your head and a death threat." Sherlock said, thinking it must have been enough to scare her.

"I don't care about that, I'm used to you lot enough to get over death threats and guns being pointed at me." Collette said with a sigh before shoving some toast into her mouth. She would be in a bad mood today, she knew it and guessed that everyone else knew it too. This was her being defensive: instead of letting them make her feel worse she instead would be unpleasant.

"Ah, so PMS then?" Sherlock said. John and Mycroft both looked at Sherlock, he was a fool. Sherlock did not often know when to leave well enough alone and had just suggested something no man should ever suggest. In his drugged state he had known that Collette was angry with him, in his sober state he was both self-centred and clueless. Collette could not possibly be angry with him, he had done nothing wrong.

"Time to go." Collette said, placing a second piece of toast into her mouth as she grabbed her other things and walked down the stairs. Mycroft looked over to Sherlock and growled in disapproval.

"You've been dating her how long? Perhaps you should actually take some time to learn about dating." Mycroft said in a snarky tone before following the younger woman down to his awaiting car to find a teary Collette.

"I'm sorry, this probably is PMS." Collette said quietly, embarassed to be crying infront of someone like Mycroft. Mycroft was better socially than Sherlock was but he still did not believe in caring. Collette could only assume that he was thinking her foolish at that moment.

"Not to worry. I suspected that dealing with my brother constantly would take it's effect on you." Mycroft said in a surprisingly kind voice as he pulled his handkerchief from his front pocket and offered it to Collette.

"Thanks. I've never normally found it hard being with Sherlock." Collette said quietly as the two rode together to work. She gently dabbed her face.

"And this case has changed that somehow?" Mycroft asked carefully, not wanting to trigger a reaction from the obviously emotional girl.

"Irene Adler. She flirted with Sherlock so openly and he let her. He even seemed to enjoy their little game. The woman actually walked out naked in front of him and he noted her measurements. I know that Sherlock does things his own way, but really it was just stupid. He let her into his head." Collette said, one part thankful to have it off her chest and another part regretting the person she chose to tell it to.

"I could try to argue the point that my brother does not do things the usual way and is faithful to you but I think it would be a waste of time. Whatever it was that happened yesterday; he upset you and needs to deal with that." Mycroft said, looking forward as he carefully gave Collette's arm a pat. The most comfort he could bring to her within his own comfort zone.

"Thank you, Mycroft." Collette said, forcing herself to get it together. She would not allow herself to sulk, be angry, be bitter or rude at work.

Sherlock remained at the table as he ate his lunch and started his research on Irene Adler. He did not understand Collette's behaviour but could not do anything else about it now that she was gone. There was no sense in wasting time worrying when he could be working. John looked at the detective, carefully planning on how to confront him.

"You twit." John said, it had seemed like the best plan at the time.

"What? Did I leave the milk out again?" Sherlock questioned absently.

"Collette is angry at you and you've gone and made it worse by saying she had PMS!" John shouted. It was his and Collette's job to tell Sherlock when he had gone too far, as Collette was the one hurt by Sherlock then it was up to John to set him straight.

"Her behaviour was completely irrational, John. PMS was the likely explaination." Sherlock defended.

"Firstly, even if it was PMS; you don't go and tell a girl she has PMS. That kind of thing only upsets them more! And secondly, it was not PMS!" John snapped.

"Alright, if you seem to think it was something else; enlighten me." Sherlock challenged the doctor.

"You let Irene Adler, a naked woman, flirt with you in front of Collette, your girlfriend. No man is so stupid." John said very clearly. It was at that point that Sherlock remembered.

"I let her flirt with me because it got the job done. She gave everything away. I would have had the phone if she didn't drug me." Sherlock argued. He knew what he did was was wrong, at least in respect to Collette. Sherlock remembered not looking at Collette as he allowed the other woman to rattle on. He would choose Collette over Irene always, but he had a job to do and made a decision on how to do that job. By making this decision he had risked Collette's affection. At the time he only thought of the case and believed that Collette would accept whatever he decided to do. He was wrong.

"I shall apologise." Sherlock said in a quiet tone, catching John off guard. Sherlock rarely apologised for his actions, he was always so assured that what he was doing was right.

"Good, I'm glad." John said as Sherlock pulled out his phone and started typing.

"There, everything is as it should be." Sherlock said as he sent the text, only earning a look from John.

"You idiot." John replied, wondering how he put up with the clueless detective.

Collette sat at her desk and looked at her phone again. He had apologised via text message. While she knew that she should be happy she got that from him, it only seemed to make her more angry that he would send a text instead of talking to her in person. Sherlock could not do anything right for her in these past two days.

Collette had spent three hours stewing over the text message until her phone beeped again. She braced herself, knowing that if he sent her something else she may lose her currently limited patience. With a deep breath Collette checked her phone.

"Meet me for lunch? I have a present for you. x" The message read. Collette looked at the message for at least ten minutes before making her choice. Irene Adler never gave up and happened to catch Collette at a weak moment. If Collette had been in a better mood, if Sherlock had of made things right that morning; she would have said no. But Collette was not in a good mood and Sherlock had only made things worse and so replied. She would be having lunch with the other woman today.

**Author's note: Thanks all for the responses. I think my Irene Adler storyline will be the longest of this fic. I still have quite a lot to write on her. Please continue to review and I hope you enjoyed reading. Also, have a Merry Christmas! I hope you all get Benedict Cumberbatch in your stockings. ;)**


	33. The Other Woman pt IV

Collette walked into a small cafe and looked around nervously, the woman she was looking for was easy to find. Irene sat at a table for two, dressed in a vivid red dress that showed too much. There were already meals at her table, which made Collette raise an eyebrow in question and she approached.

"Ah Collette, so good to see you. I took the liberty of ordering for you. That way we can make the most out of your lunch hour. Wouldn't want to keep Mycroft waiting." Irene said, Collette noted that the woman was still confident and sassy but was slightly more settled. She wondered if the other woman was making an effort to behave herself for Collette's sake.

"You chose well at least." Collette commented as she looked over the lunch picked out for her.

"I make it my job of knowing what people like. I also pay attention to you, unlike a certain boyfriend of yours." Irene replied, she had come prepared.

"You know you're not going to win me over." Collette replied as she began to eat. She would listen to Irene but she did not want the woman getting the wrong idea.

"Ah but you see, you already started playing the game when you decided to show up. What was the reason that made you come today?" Irene asked with purpose.

"You said you had something for me." Collette answered in a straight forward manner. If it was to help the case, she would accept it.

"Or maybe Sherlock doesn't know how to make you happy. You look unhappy." Irene commented.

"I am perfectly happy." Collette replied in the same tone in which a woman would often answer that she was 'fine'.

"Alright, I see you're not going to play along." Irene replied, knowing that she would have to try a different tactic.

"Of course I'm not. You only asked me here to get to Sherlock, he's the one you want to play with. I won't be a pawn in your game." Collette said as firmly as she could. Collette never usually judged a person too quickly but there were a few times in which she got a feeling about a person and knew that person was bad news. Irene was one of the people who gave Collette a bad feeling. Everything told her to not trust the other woman.

"Actually, I want to play with you too. Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant man but when I discovered him I also discovered you. A woman who writes books about beauty that encourages women to be confident in themselves but is actually insecure herself. A woman who dates Sherlock Holmes. It's interesting in itself but even I would have to wonder why. Sherlock is a brilliant man but as a boyfriend, he comes up short. I have men worship the ground I walk on whenever I want them to. You dressed up as a nun for your man and he barely noticed you. What exactly do you get out of your relationship?" The final question froze Collette in her seat, she did not have an answer.

"I.. uh." Collette mumbled into her sandwich.

"Let's talk about something a little less serious, shall we?" Irene suggested. Collette was so glad to not be pressured for an answer that she submit to the dominatrix and talked for the rest of her lunch break. Irene already knew so much about Collette that it seemed pointless trying to hide the smaller things like interests, hobbies and pass times from her.

The two women spoke for a little while about Collette's ebooks and Irene's love of fashion. While it was originally Irene's plan to have the girl feel close to her, it was a surprise to find that she also enjoyed their time together. Both women were living in a different world from what was normal and so it was a nice change to pretend for a little while that they were simply having lunch together.

"I've got to go, Mycroft will be suspicious if I'm late. I'm never late." Collette said quickly as she realised the time and began to collect her things.

"Of course. I suppose I should give you what you came for." Irene said, removing a small box from her pocket and placing it on the table. Collette inspected the contents of the box before looking over to the other woman.

"You can't be serious?" Collette asked as she looked back down to the highly sought after phone.

"I am, yes. What happens to it, is up to you. This is something we share." Irene said, giving a hint to the password without Collette realising it. Collette frowned as Irene walked out and disappeared into the crowd of people outside. The phone was important to Mycroft and Sherlock, who should she give it to?

Mycroft looked up from his desk as Collette brought in his afternoon tray of tea and cake. He was on a diet yet the girl still insisted on fattening him up. She had been moody all day but since coming back from lunch she had been on edge. Mycroft decided it best not to ask, Collette had unburdened her feelings onto him enough for one day.

"Oh, do get out Collette." Mycroft finally snapped as she sat his silver tray on the desk. Collette looked up with shock.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" Collette asked, unsure why she was receiving orders to leave.

"No but you obviously don't have you head in the job today. Go home, do whatever it is you need to do and come back tomorrow with a clear mind." Mycroft said. He favored her too much, was too easy on her and others in the office knew it. Collette was the closest thing Mycroft would ever have to a sister and so he chose to honor the strange bond she had with the Holmes family.

"I... thanks Mycroft." Collette said and gave him a small but honest smile.

Sitting in the private car, Collette found her hand in her coat pocket and placed over the phone. Mycroft had been so kind to her today, he had been patient with her and put up with her blubbering when he normally would not. Sherlock however had been an arse. Collette knew that she should just hand the phone over to Mycroft and be done with it, but something told her to wait. As she arrived home, Collette quickly removed the phone from the coat pocket and placed it somewhere that Sherlock perhaps might find it.

John sat in his arm chair and tapped away at his computer. He was currently writing up the latest entry for his blog. The Irene Adler case was not quite over but he thought he had a decent amount to write about already. He looked up in surprise when he saw Collette enter the living room instead of the expected Sherlock.

"Collette, you're early. Everything ok?" John asked as he sat his laptop to the side.

"I'm fine, just got an early mark." Collette lied. Her and John both knew that she was unhappy but neither would bring it up.

"Hungry? Mrs Hudson brought scones up not long ago." John said casually, hoping to distract Collette from the missing detective.

"No, I had lunch not too long ago. Where's Sherlock?" Collette asked. John had failed in his task.

"He's just ducked out. To get milk I think, shouldn't be gone too long." John said, uncomfortable lying to Collette. Before Collette could question the shifty looking John, the sound of the front door closing was heard. Collette moved over to Sherlock's chair and sat herself down, this would be her passive aggressive punishment for him. It would send a clear signal that she was angry.

"Alright John, if this doesn't make her happy then I will be forced to watch those horrible day time self-help shows on the television." Came the voice of the detective in question. Collette looked over to John in confusion who tried to avoid eye contact. Her attention was then drawn to the tall man entering the room who was currently hidden behind piles of presents.

"Jesus Sherlock, you were meant to pick one thing not all of it!" John snapped in surprise as he got up to help unpack the detective. Sherlock was caught off guard as he saw an even more confused Collette sitting in his chair.

"You couldn't have told me that she was in?" Sherlock asked John angrily.

"What's all this?" Collette asked, forgetting about her own anger as she eyed off the pile of goodies. Each object was a cliche gift given to an upset girlfriend: flowers, colourful balloons that read 'sorry', a box of chocolates, a small hamper filled with lotions and bath salts, and finally a small expensive looking box that likely contained jewellery. From what she had heard John say, Collette made her own deduction. John had listed off gifts that would be suitable for Sherlock to give and Sherlock misunderstood and bought everything from the list.

"Ah, well. I was hoping to discuss this with John before you arrived home. I have been informed that I behaved very badly towards you yesterday and did nothing to help the matter this morning. I wanted to apologise properly, as a man should to the woman he loves." Sherlock said, he had been going over what to say all afternoon but the change of plans threw him off. Suddenly all the gifts meant nothing to Collette as she wondered if she heard right, Sherlock had said love. She was the woman he loved. Collette found herself smiling. Sherlock was not the type of man to admit to love easily and so Collette would push for nothing more. The small little slip was enough for her.

"Apology accepted." Collette said before throwing herself into Sherlock's arms. He held her close to him and looked over to John.

"I think it was the balloons. Remind me if I should ever forget." Sherlock said to him, not even realising himself what he had admitted. John rolled his eyes.

"For a genius detective, you sure can be bloody clueless sometimes." John sighed. Collette finally let go and smiled up to Sherlock.

"I've got something for you too." Collette said with a smile as she reached into her shirt.

"Do I really need to see this?" John asked before muttering a soft 'oh' when Collette pulled out the prized mobile phone.

"Where did you get that?" Sherlock questioned as he took the phone.

"A little trouble maker gave it to me. Now I'm giving it to you." Collette said with a smile. When Irene had asked what Collette got out of the relationship, she could not answer. Now Collette knew. Loving Sherlock meant that all she really wanted from the relationship was his happiness and time, knowing that he loved her in return just made it all the more wonderful.

**Author's note: Don't worry, more Irene to come. I hope you all had a good Christmas! As always, please review and I hope you enjoyed reading.**


	34. The Other Woman pt V

Time passed and Collette continued to watch as Sherlock drove himself mad trying to work out the password to Irene's phone. Sherlock had become obsessed over trying to crack this riddle. Irene had not caused any trouble for Mycroft since but continued to text Collette and ask for lunch dates. While Collette always refused, it was not uncommon for her to go to lunch and find Irene waiting for her.

Collette sat quietly in the car ride home from work. She was tempted to go shopping or to a movie instead of going home. She did not want to sit and listen to Sherlock talk to himself over what the password to Irene's phone may be. Today would be different though, as today when the car pulled up she found police cars and an ambulance outside her home. Collette jumped out of the car and ran towards the door only to be blocked by Lestrade.

"What's going on? Where's Sherlock? Is he ok?" Collette asked all too quickly as her protective instincts came out. Lestrade held her back and gave a small smile.

"He's fine, everyone is fine. You had a break in, of sorts." Lestrade explained as they both saw a bloodied up man being carried into the ambulance on a stretcher. Collette recognised the man straight away.

"He was one of the men from Irene Adler's. Tried to have me shot..." Collette said quietly to Lestrade.

"While he's claiming it was an accident, I believe Sherlock threw him out the window of the second story floor a few times..." Lestrade replied just as quietly. Collette smiled to herself as she thought about Sherlock doing so, at that moment she saw the detective himself come outside. Collette pushed past the other officers on the scene and threw her arms around Sherlock. Lestrade followed and ushered them inside.

Soon Collette was caught up with what had happened. While it was unexpected, Collette was in awe of Sherlock for taking it upon himself to punish the man that had hurt Mrs Hudson. It showed his need to protect those he cared about, something that was always there but not often put on display. If Sherlock was like any other hot blooded male, this would be one of those times when Collette would make a fuss of his manly actions and make sure his ego was stroked. But Sherlock was not the type to be flattered so easily by compliments on his impulsive actions. Instead Sherlock would likely be scolding himself for acting out of sentiment instead of logic. Collette felt the need to show Sherlock that what he had done impressed her but was at a loss for what she could do.

John sat with Mrs Hudson once it was all over, keeping a close eye on her. Collette worked her way around Mrs Hudson's kitchen, making some tea for the group as she listened to the boys.

"You should go spend some time with your sister, get away from the city for a while." John offered, seeing that Mrs Hudson was obviously shaken from her experience.

"Mrs Hudson leave Baker street? John, London would fall!" Sherlock said in an almost playful manner, knowing that the elderly woman was much stronger than she looked.

"I'll be alright boys." Mrs Hudson laughed it off though her hands were still shaking.

"They were after the phone, right? Did they get it?" John asked suddenly. Mrs Hudson smiled and pulled the phone from her shirt.

"I grabbed it while they thought I was having a cry. This one left it in his best dressing gown." Mrs Hudson replied as she handed Sherlock the phone.

"There must be something important on that phone for the Americans to want it." John said, making his observation and causing Sherlock to roll his eyes.

"Obviously." Sherlock replied as he stared at the phone in deep thought.

"Still no luck with the password?" Collette asked as she brought a cup of tea over for Mrs Hudson.

"No, you women just love making me suffer with these things." Sherlock replied sarcastically.

"What if she uses something random for her password?" Collette suggested, knowing her own password was random which was why Sherlock had yet to work it out.

"No, she got this phone to me because she's playing her game. She wants to see if I can crack the code. Her password for the vault meant something to her, this will mean something too." Sherlock answered as he looked over to Collette.

"Hmm, I wonder." Collette muttered to herself as she dug her phone out and started filtering through her messages.

"What are you doing?" Sherlock questioned, he had picked up some strange behaviour with his girlfriend and her phone.

"Irene texts me sometimes. Just checking to see if she's sent any hints." Collette said casually. She knew that this had been kept a secret from the boys but it was never really important.

"She what? Why did you never think to tell me?!" Sherlock shouted, jealousy building in the pit of his stomach. Collette had never told him about the messages and that was a sign of guilt.

"She never text me anything about the phone or the case. I felt like she was just messaging me to bug you, so telling you about it would be playing her game. But now Mrs Hudson has been hurt, so if she sent any kind of clue in these messages then it's time to work it out." Collette replied with her eyes glued to the phone, she wasn't sure if she could look at Sherlock as she prepared herself for a scolding.

"What sort of things does she send then?" John asked with interest while Sherlock tried to contain himself.

"Mostly she just flirts a lot." Collette replied, daring a glance at the fuming detective.

"Do you reply to these messages?" Sherlock asked, logic told him that he could trust Collette completely but the emotions in the pit of his stomach said otherwise.

Logic told Sherlock that Collette had not mentioned these messages as Irene annoyed her and she did not want to get caught up in the game or be a bother to the boys. Logic told him that even if Irene flirted, Collette did not take interest in women and was content in her relationship. But Sherlock's skills of deduction told another story. Hiding messages from a partner points to signs of an affair. The fact that Collette could barely look at Sherlock showed signs that perhaps she had something to be guilty for. Collette knew that Sherlock was trying to solve the case of the phone's password and while Collette had a feeling there might be a hint in the messages she had received, she had not mentioned them until the situation had become dangerous and forced her hand. Sherlock's emotions reminded him that Irene had stated how Collette was neglected by Sherlock, how Irene could give her more attention. Sherlock needed to know if this was true, if Collette had grown to enjoy the attention from the other woman.

"Sometimes, I ignore the flirting though. We do have lunch sometimes..." Collette admitted, knowing how bad this all sounded.

"I see." Sherlock muttered out darkly before leaving the room and storming upstairs.

"Sweetheart, perhaps you should go after him. Give him a little cuddle and tell him it's all ok." Mrs Hudson suggested kindly. Collette gave her a soft smile before going upstairs, unsure of what she would face.

Sherlock sat in his armchair and tended to his violin. Collette felt more guilt swell in her chest as she moved over to the brooding detective and sat in her own chair beside him. With a gentle movement, she reached over and touched his arm to make him look at her. Without saying a word, she handed over her phone.

"Read everything. I did not flirt with her and I did not go out of my way to spend a lot of time with her. Often she would show up where I normally have lunch. The only day I agreed to meet her was the day she gave me her phone." Collette said in a soft tone, hoping to convey to Sherlock that everything between herself and Irene was not as secretive and scandalous as it appeared.

"Then why not tell me sooner?" Sherlock asked in an emotionless voice as he took the phone and began reading.

"You were already driving yourself crazy trying to work out the password to her phone, I didn't want to distract you with this. I felt like she was probably doing it to tease you." Collette answered.

"I saw the look Collette, one of guilt. You're hiding something." Sherlock said, not looking up from the phone. The messages from Collette were indeed innocent enough, she kept her replies basic and ignored Irene's advances.

"What I am hiding is not what you think... The truth is, I quite like Irene now that I've got to know her a bit better." Collette admitted, looking down as Sherlock looked over curiously.

"I see. So you... enjoy the way she talks to you?" Sherlock asked, unsure what it was Collette was saying. Was she confessing a crush for the other woman?

"Those texts don't show her as she is. When we have lunch, we are like any other women out. It's hard to explain but since living here I've found it hard to make female friends. She knows our situation, she knows the strange life we lead together. She doesn't react the way other people react when I talk about you..." Collette said, hesitating at the last part.

"How do others react?" Sherlock challenged.

"Like you're a freak and that I am a freak for being with you..." Collette whispered as she looked over.

"I see, I never realised..." Sherlock admitted, he knew how others saw him but never stopped to consider that others would see Collette in the same light for being with him.

"It's not so bad now that I'm working for Mycroft, the people I work with are used to the unusual. But other than that it is hard. I will find myself casually laughing about finding a jar of fingers in my fridge and then realise just how horrible that sounds to other people that don't know you. Not even my friends back home understand, they think I've gone strange. But Irene is different, I can talk about those things without shocking her just like she can talk about her work without shocking me." Collette explained, helping Sherlock understand.

"I see. You don't see her as a romantic attactment but rather as female company. You kept it from me because of who she is and not why you are seeing her." Sherlock said, putting it all together. Irene was something of a rival to him and so Collette must have believed admitting to enjoying Irene's friendship would hurt him. Collette had a habit of hiding things from him in an attempt to protect him.

"Of course. Sherlock I am not a lesbian and I do not desire anyone's attention but yours. I just liked having someone to talk to who didn't treat me like I was strange for loving someone was brilliant as you." Collette said, admitting her love without realising it. Sherlock noticed this small confession of course.

"I understand but you must stop doing this. First Mycroft and now Irene, do not continue to think you need to spare my feelings by hiding these things from me. I am a grown man and can handle you having friends, even if I do not like them. What if someone came along that you kept from me and it was another one of Moriarty's traps?" Sherlock said, his protective side coming out for the second time this day.

"I know and I'm sorry. No more secrets from now on." Collette said, sounding quite cliche but learning a lesson after seeing the hurt Sherlock showed from yet another secret. With Mycroft she had made him angry, but with Irene she had truly hurt him. Sherlock leaned in to give Collette a small kiss to show all was forgiven, wondering if he hadn't brought this suffering on himself. If he had given Collette more attention from the start, took more time to talk to her and flirt a little more then perhaps Irene wouldn't have been such an appealing from in the first place. And so a small goal was set for each of them to be better to the other.

"With all this talk your phone as locked itself, put in the password won't you?" Sherlock said with a sigh as he held out the phone. Collette smiled over to him, deciding it was time to give him full access to her life to prove there would be no more secrets.

"Unlock it yourself, 4650." Collette said as casually as she could. Sherlock looked over to her before typing in the number, surprised to see that she was being honest and not teasing him.

"This is your password. For your laptop too, isn't it?" Sherlock asked seriously.

"Yes." Collette answered with a smirk before smiling as she received a much more excited kiss. Sherlock ran off to get her laptop once he had given her a proper thanks. Collette sighed to herself once alone, wondering if she had made the right choice. She trusted Sherlock completely but knew he had no understanding of personal space and would likely have gone through every single file on her laptop by the end of the night.

**Author's note: Hey all, sorry for the delays. The festive season hit me quite hard and then I got stuck with writer's block. I think the next chapter might be a different storyline as we've had a lot of The Other Woman. Irene will return later on of course though, so Sherlock can finish his case but for now I think we've had a lot of her lately. Please review and I hope you all had a good New Year!**


	35. Enter Janie

Sherlock sat in his armchair and sighed. He was bored. John was out with a girl and Collette had gone to do some errand. Collette had never said what the errand was but Sherlock assumed it was another relative coming to visit. That morning Collette had scrubbed the house from top to bottom and had been whispering to Mrs Hudson about something. Sherlock wondered who the guest would be but it did not spike his curiousity too much. If the person was someone of importance, Collette would have rattled off a lot of rules she expected to be followed. Sherlock would be proven wrong.

Janie stepped into the living room of 221B Baker street and looked around in judgement. Her eyes finally landed on Sherlock and she seemed to be reading him as much as he was reading her. Sherlock now understood why Collette had avoided discussing her guest. Janie was one of Collette's friends from home that Sherlock despised before even knowing.

"Sherlock, this is Janie. She's going to be staying for a couple of weeks." Collette said in a timid voice, silently begging with her eyes for Sherlock to be nice. Sherlock placed a charming smile on his face and walked over with a hand outstretched.

"Welcome, heard so much about you. I hope you find everything here to your liking." Sherlock said, playing the perfect gentleman as he shook the girl's hand.

"Fuck you're tall. How do you two even match up?" Janie said in a light Australian accent as she looked from Sherlock to Collette. Sherlock was tall while Collette was short. There was a height difference but it had never been mentioned like that before.

"Anyway, you probably want to shower and sleep. I know I do after a long flight." Collette said, Sherlock could tell she sounded uncomfortable and wondered why. He had seen her laptop pictures, read emails and seen her facebook. Sherlock did not consider this an invasion of privacy as he did the same to John and found to reason why Collette couldn't do the same to his laptop. Everything on Collette's laptop said that they were close friends and he did not understand her behaviour now.

"Not really, I'm hungry. But I will take a shower." Janie said. Collette smiled and lead her downstairs to her flat and showed her the bathroom.

"Make yourself at home, I'll be upstairs when you get out. I'll make you something to eat." Collette said quietly and looked over to her friend.

"He's cute, better than your last boyfriend. Kind of weird though but oh well. I'll be up soon." Janie said before going to shower. Collette frowned, she had expected this. She loved her friend dearly but her life in London was so different. Janie never held back her opinion and would give it no matter how harsh. For the next two weeks, the life Collette was so happy with would be torn apart and inspected bit by bit. Collette sighed and returned upstairs to explain herself. Sherlock gave her an amused look when she entered.

"Didn't think to let me know we'd have a house guest?" Sherlock asked casually.

"Oh you knew we were having one." Collette snapped but regretted it, she was already being effected by her friend. "Sorry, just not looking forward to this." She apologised.

"Why? I understand that the girl is not pleasant but you are friends with her." Sherlock questioned. Collette sat in her chair and pushed her hair back.

"Janie is a great person when you're down but when you're up she has a way of destroying it. She will find any little fault with my life or how I am now. She puts me on edge." Collette confessed and leaned back.

"Very well, for two weeks I can play the perfect boyfriend if that will make you happy." Sherlock decided, earning a smile from Collette.

"No, I love you the way you are. Don't be anything different for her sake." She said, thinking Sherlock might be exactly what she needed to face Janie.

"Very well." Sherlock agreed as he laced his fingers together.

"Go on then, I know you're dying to." Collette said with a smile.

"Oh?" Sherlock asked, playing dumb.

"What did you deduce about her?" Collette asked, dying to know what Sherlock could see. Sherlock sat up straighter and smiled.

"Arrogant but doesn't realise it. Confident but sensitive, easily broken if someone dared to go against her. Doesn't work or if she does, very light work. Loves attention and needs to be taken care of. Sound about right?" Sherlock asked, already knowing most of it was right from the girl's facebook.

"Pretty spot on. She does know she's arrogant but is in denial about it." Collette said with a smile.

"Ah, always one thing I'm off about." Sherlock said, scolding himself. Soon the dear friend had returned after a shower and Collette got to work in the kitchen to cook up a meal. Janie sat in John's armchair and looked over to Sherlock curiously. He and Collette had been together for quite some time now and the friend wanted to know him.

"So why does Collette keep her apartment when you two are together? She practically lives up here anyway." Janie asked directly.

"I believe she enjoys having her own space." Sherlock answered, not thinking it so important as they were already living the same house.

"Do you really keep body parts in the kitchen or was that some weird joke?" She continued.

"I keep what is needed for my experiments." Sherlock replied, already bored with the girl. Janie wrinkled her nose in disgust, Sherlock could already deduce the girl's opinion of him.

"So will you give that sort of thing up when you two get married?" Janie asked, catching Sherlock unaware.

"Married?!" He asked with a wild look on his face.

"Well yeah, Collette a nice girl so if you don't marry her someone else will want to... maybe someone who doesn't get so involved with murder." Janie replied as if it was obvious. Collette walked in and handed Janie a plate before looking between the two.

"What did I miss?" She asked, guessing by the look on Sherlock's face that Janie had said too much.

"Collette, don't you want to get married?" Janie asked seriously. Collette now understood Sherlock's expression. Janie cared about marriage a lot more than Collette did. Janie was the type of girl who could never be single and who had been looking for marriage since before they graduated high school. Collette could not actually name a time when Janie had been single for more than a month since she was 16.

"Well, maybe one day. But I'm not actively seeking it." Collette said carefully as she sat down in her own armchair. Collette glanced over to see Sherlock relax, she gave him a reassuring smile to tell him not to worry.

"So, Sherlock you don't want to marry Collette?" Janie asked purposely. Sherlock understood that this question was a trap, if he answered yes then it would be considered a proposal but if he answered no then he would be rejecting Collette. Carefully, Sherlock laced his fingers together and thought for a brief second.

"I am perfectly content with how our relationship is now, marriage may be acceptable in the future if Collette and I decide it." Sherlock said, choosing his answer delicately.

"You talk like your relationship is some business plan, if you love her then you'd want to marry her." Janie replied as she ate, not happy with Sherlock's answer.

"And you talk like a person cannot love and think at the same time." Sherlock retorted. Collette shifted in her seat, the next two weeks would be full of these types of questions and answers. Her boyfriend and best friend would never get along and she knew this.

**Author's note: Sorry for the delayed update guys, I've currently started a new story which has taken up a lot of my time. Two Little Hobbits, check it out if you'd like. Please review!**


	36. Enter Janie pt II

Janie sat in the oversized armchair of Collette's small living room. Her mouth hung open and her eyes wide. Collette shifted uncomfortably in her position on the couch and shifted her gaze to the coffee table. She could not handle looking at Janie right now, the look on her face was too much. The two were sitting to have a dinner of Chinese takeaway together after work and had finally gotten down to talking about Collette's strange relationship.

"Ok, I get that he solves crime. I get that he is such a crazy genius that he keeps body parts in his fridge. But how can you just sit there and tell me that you don't have sex? You've been dating for ages now, even if he does get distracted he should still want it!" Janie said in disbelief. Collette was hoping that Janie would be able to handle her relationship, Janie did enjoy strange things as much as Collette if not more. Collette had even dared to hope that Janie would like Sherlock. But over the few days that Janie had been there the two had only argued and gotten under each other's skin.

"He's just... never been that interested." Collette said as she tried to focus on her noodles.

"Never? Are you saying he's never had sex? With anyone?" Janie continued.

"Um, well no. He's never had sex. With anyone." Collette said as she dared to look over to her friend.

"Does he look at porn?" Janie questioned, wondering if Sherlock had some kind of fetish and was simply not interested in normal sex.

"I don't think so. Everytime he's been on his laptop he is working on his website or researching for his work." Collette answered honestly, she lived with Sherlock long enough to have noticed if he had a habit for porn.

"Maybe he can't get it up." Janie suggested. She had always been interested in all things sexual and so this subject was a case of her own to work on.

"He can get it up just fine." Collette replied, getting more uncomfortable by the minute. She could talk to Janie about anything but sex had always embarrassed her. Janie was so bold on the subject while Collette was shy.

"Oh? So he got hard when you were kissing or something?" Janie asked bluntly. Collette shifted again and reached for her glass of wine.

"Well um, yeah. And sometimes I wake up to feel it in my back..." Collette admitted after a moment.

"So why don't you just act on it? If he's a virgin then maybe he just doesn't know how to make a move." Janie said seriously.

"Sherlock isn't the type that won't act on what he wants. He's very determined, if he wanted sex then there would be little stopping him." Collette explained.

"So maybe you should make a move to show that you want it? If he's capable of getting turned on then he's capable of getting into it." Janie replied.

"I honestly don't think he's that interested, even if he is capable of it. Sherlock usually won't eat or sleep unless he's made to or his body can't hold out any longer." Collette answered.

"So, you make him." Janie said as if it was easy.

"There's a difference between making someone eat and making someone have sex with you and you know it." Collette corrected, she wouldn't force Sherlock or pressure him.

"Maybe he just doesn't realise that he needs it." Janie offered.

"That's something a rapist would use as an excuse." Collette said with disapproval.

"Alright, so no forcing. But maybe you could offer it up a bit more. You know, show some skin, flirt. He might eventually decide on his own if you make more of an effort." Janie said, already starting to plan.

"You're going to make me, aren't you?" Collette said with an unamused look. Janie grinned wickedly.

"Oh yes, you still know me well." Janie said with a smirk as she started to explain what would need to be done, starting tomorrow.

Sherlock stared at his Chinese takeaway box and sighed loudly. John glared at the moping detective.

"She's downstairs, it's not like she packed up and left you. Not that anyone would blame her." John snapped, sick of Sherlock's behaviour.

"She might as well. That girl hates me and Collette values her opinion far too much." Sherlock said, knowing he was not a normal boyfriend.

"Are you kidding me? Self-pity?! When does Sherlock Holmes ever pity himself? He doesn't! He is far too full of himself. Collette is not going to leave you, even if you're a nightmare to put up with, she loves you and she's happy." John shouted.

"I am well aware that she loves me and that she is happy. The problem is that this girl might make her believe she is not happy." Sherlock replied.

"Do you really think Collette is so weak willed?" John asked. Sherlock sat up and pushed his hair back.

"No." He replied after a moment, hating to admit when he was wrong. Collette had faced Moriarty and Irene Adler and remained loyal to him, she was not going anywhere.

"There, so relax." John said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Fine, she is not leaving but she had been behaving strangely since that girl arrived." Sherlock replied, determined to have the last say.

Janie dug through Collette's underwear drawer as Collette lay on the bed and flipped through a magazine. Janie threw various pieces of clothing on the floor as she groaned and growled in annoyance.

"What happened to all your cute underwear?!" Janie snapped.

"Whenever I tried buying cute underwear I ended up wearing it once and finding it uncomfortable. So I never bothered to bring it with me." Collette replied as she looked up lazily from her magazine, wanting to relax for as long as possible.

"Cute underwear is not made to be comfortable, it's made to make men's pants tight!" Janie snapped.

"I don't think Sherlock would like over the top lingerie anyway." Collette replied.

"You never know until you try." Janie replied, reminding her of someone else.

"God, Sherlock is exactly the same with his experiments as you are with me right now. I'm just an experiment to you right now, aren't I?" Collette said with a frown.

"No, you're my best friend who I love. But your sex life is an experiment which so far has failed badly." Janie answered.

"Alright, what else do I need to do besides buy cute undies?" Collette asked, not completely happy about the situation. She was to Janie as John was to Sherlock in a lot of ways.

"Well, how's your private region?" Janie asked as she began to pick up the thrown underwear.

"Um, like any other vagina?" Collette replied, not quite grasping the question.

"No, I mean. Hair, when was the last time you waxed?" Janie asked.

"Oh, um, never..." Collette replied, looking to the side.

"Never? What about when you were with Jeremy? Didn't you keep it tidy for him?!" Janie asked, completely shocked. Collette gave a shrug.

"He never really cared. I mean I shaved enough to keep it maintained but it was pretty much natural. And I haven't really bothered since... I mean Sherlock has seen me naked a few times but not in the sexual sense. More of him invading the bathroom while I'm in the shower or something..." Collette replied, feeling awkward. Sometimes she really felt like she failed to be a woman.

"We'll book you in for a wax tomorrow." Janie said, deciding it would be a welcome change.

"I'm working tomorrow." Collette replied.

"You can meet me on your lunch break." Janie argued.

"Fine, what could possibly go wrong?" Collette gave in, guessing she would be in agony.

"You'll be fine, don't be a baby." Janie argued as she started looking through Collette's wardrobe for what she called 'slut outfits'. Collette made herself comfortable on the bed, dreading what tomorrow would bring.


	37. Enter Janie pt III

Mycroft looked up from his desk as Collette hobbled into his office with a tray of tea and biscuits. Before her lunch break she had been fine but since returning she looked constipated.

"Collette, I am not one to care about other's well-being but this is ridiculous. What is wrong with you?" Mycroft asked as he sat down his papers.

"I'm fine, I just had um, a treatment during lunch." Collette said softly, not wanting to explain a bikini wax to Mycroft. This was the wrong move, being vague only made Mycroft want to work out which treatment Collette had been through.

"I see, and you're particularly uncomfortable?" He questioned.

"Um, yes but I'll be fine." Collette answered as she as she pushed away any tenderness and walked out of Mycroft's office to return to filing. Mycroft sat and waited the appropriate amount of time, in this case twenty minutes, before he stepped out of his office.

"Collette, get you're things we're headed out." Mycroft said, the same thing he said everytime they left the office.

"Sure." Collette replied, putting away what she was working on and grabbing hers and Mycroft's coats.

"We won't be back to the office today so get your bag." Mycroft said as he started to walk. Collette quickly picked up her handbag and grabbed Mycroft's umbrella as they walked out to the car.

"Where are we going?" Collette asked as she handed Mycroft his coat and umbrella.

"Home." Mycroft answered.

"You're not going to have me do your laundry again are you? Because I already told you it's weird." Collette said, remembering the day Mycroft needed to work from his home office and gave her that unpleasant task. Collette didn't mind laundry but the idea of seeing Mycroft's underwear just wasn't right.

"Not my home, your home. I need to speak with that troublesome brother of mine." Mycroft answered. Collette relaxed but wondered what they had to talk about that couldn't be discussed over the phone.

Soon, Mycroft stood in the living room and waited for Collette to go off and give them some privacy. He had noticed her being incredibly uncomfortable in the car ride over which only made him wonder more.

"Well? What is it? I assume it is about Collette as you insisted speaking to me alone." Sherlock asked in a bored tone, always finding Mycroft's visits to be a waste of time.

"She had some kind of treatment during her lunch break. Do you know what it was?" Mycroft jumped straight to the matter at hand. Confusion flashed over Sherlock's face for a moment which answered Mycroft's question.

"No, what did she say about it?" Sherlock questioned, now curious as well.

"Nothing. She looked uncomfortable walking when she first came in and she also had trouble sitting still in the car. Now it could have just been some routine female test that left her feeling a little sore but can't see why she'd have cause to hide that." Mycroft explained, he was actually worried about the girl.

"If she got a pap test then do you really think she'd want to tell you about it?" John asked as he walked in from the kitchen.

"If she had to get some kind of test like that, why didn't she just go to you John?" Sherlock questioned, making the doctor sigh.

"Because a lot of women are embarrassed by it. I can't imagine Collette being the type that would be comfortable spreading her legs for me." John replied as if that was obvious.

"Might as well just ask her then." Sherlock decided. Collette walked in, wearing loose pj pants and looked around at the three boys.

"Did I miss something?" She questioned as all eyes were on her.

"What did you get done at lunch?" Sherlock questioned, taking Collette by surprise.

"My god, you had to know so badly you came to ask him?" Collette shouted at Mycroft. She did not usually raise her voice and surprised the boys.

"I was concerned." Mycroft answered, trying to keep his dignity.

"I got a bikini wax, ok? It's perfectly normal and it's none of your business!" Collette snapped before storming down to her flat. That explained her anger when confronted.

"You better go talk to her." John said to Sherlock who simply raised an eyebrow.

"Why me?" He questioned, thinking women needed space when in bad moods.

"She's your girlfriend, it's your job." John snapped and ushered both Holmes boys downstairs. Mycroft went on his way while Sherlock continued down to the basement.

Collette stood at her kitchen bench as she ate ice cream from the container and held a bag of frozen peas between her legs. Sherlock looked around and was thankful that Janie had not returned from her shopping trip.

"Would you like to talk about this?" Sherlock said without much emotion as he remembered the line John told him was good to use when speaking to women.

"What is there to tell? I'm embarrassed and kind of sore." Collette replied as she looked over to Sherlock.

"You should know that Mycroft would not care about this sort of thing." Sherlock replied, thinking that might ease her upset. Collette simply sighed and looked down to her spoon.

"Yeah and you don't either." She said quietly with a frown.

"And what does that mean?" Sherlock questioned. Collette forced herself to look at Sherlock.

"It's Janie, she thinks there's something wrong with us because we don't have sex. She also seems to think if I do all this: get waxed, wear lacy underwear and flirt heavily that you will suddenly want to have sex." Collette explained. Ah. Sherlock now understood.

"Do you want me to be interested in sex?" Sherlock asked carefully.

"No... yes? I don't know. Sometimes I think it would be easier if you were but I was actually pretty happy with how things were until she pointed out that we should be having sex. I don't consider myself that sexual, I've never sought out sex or gone out of my way to get it. What we do is enough for me to feel connected and loved, that's why couples are meant to have sex, right? Hell, I've got a vibrator, that's enough for me when I am in the mood. I also don't ever want to make you feel forced or pressured to want it. I think it's fine to want sex and I also think it's fine to not want sex." Collette said all at once as she waved her spoon around dramatically.

"But Janie is making you feel like we should be wanting sex." Sherlock replied, seeing the situation much clearer.

"Yeah, she's taken it upon herself to see that we do." Collette replied, uncomfortable with it all.

"You need to set her straight. We will not have sex for someone else and she is not the kind of woman who will give up a cause." Sherlock said seriously, not wanting Collette to be embarrassed or placed in uncomfortable situations to make her friend happy. Collette sighed and knew what she had to do.

Janie walked into the basement apartment with a few bags of shopping both for herself and for Collette. She was surprised to see Collette home early and waiting for her.

"Did something go wrong at the salon?" Janie questioned quickly as she came over.

"No. Listen, we need to talk." Collette said, going over several times what she wanted to say.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were about to break up with me." Janie said with a smile. Collette's serious look told her the joke was unwanted.

"I don't want to do this." Collette said, Janie knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Why not? How could you not want sex with your boyfriend?" Janie questioned, not understanding at all.

"I do, but I don't want it this way. I want it when we're both ready and right now is not that time. I don't want to change myself to try to seduce a guy who already loves me and wants me. Yes, he does want me he just doesn't want to have sex and I'm ok with that." Collette said, finding herself skipping over most of the speech she had prepared.

"And if he never wants sex?" Janie questioned as she gave a look that said she did not approve.

"Then that is fine too. I've felt so uncomfortable all day thinking I was going to have to be something I wasn't." Collette answered, trying her best to stay strong while under her friend's gaze.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, I just wanted you to be happy." Janie said seriously as she moved closer.

"I am happy. Being with Sherlock, I feel great about myself and my relationship. I don't need sex to reaffirm those things." Collette said with a smile.

"I don't get how anyone could not need sex." Janie admitted but was settled to know Collette was happy.

"You need sex, I don't. Everyone has different needs." Collette said contently as Janie sat down beside her and thought about what she had done.

"God, you must think I'm such a bitch for trying to pressure you..." Janie said after a moment of reflection.

"No, I know you and I know you only wanted the best for me. You're loud and pushy and you always think you know best. But I love those things about you, you balance me in a big way. It's probably why I get along with Sherlock so well, if I never met you then I probably wouldn't have been able to handle his personality so well. You both say horrible things, you don't consider my feelings too often and you go your own way but in the end you both love me and do your best to protect me." Collette explained. Janie smiled over to her friend, seeing she had grown a lot since moving to London.

"I just hope he knows how lucky he is to have you." Janie said with a smile before swearing she would skin Sherlock alive if he ever hurt Collette. Collette looked at her friend and wondered if Janie would ever change. Perhaps with Sherlock's help, Collette believed she had changed enough at the very least.


	38. The Reichenbach Fall

Collette returned from work and walked upstairs to hear shouting. She sighed and prepared herself to scold her boys. If Collette knew what was coming, she would have enjoyed the sounds of Sherlock's shouting. Collette entered the room and saw Sherlock fiddling with the hat he had made famous while John went through the paper.

"Bachelor John Watson. Confirmed bachelor? What does that mean?" John asked as Sherlock continued to analyse his hat. Collette sat her bag down and smiled.

"Don't worry John, we know you aren't gay." Collette said as she walked over to see the hat.

"This thing is useless, what on Earth do these bits do?" Sherlock asked as he untied the hat and let down the ear flaps. Collette took the hat and tried it on.

"It's cute and it keeps you warm." She answered.

"This is getting to be too much though. Sherlock, are you listening? You're almost famous but you're supposed to be a private detective!" John brought up, knowing they could not do their jobs if they were recognised.

"It will be fine, John." Sherlock dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"No, it won't. The press like you now but the press always turns. They'll turn on you Sherlock." John warned. Sherlock took his hat and returned to his computer to research. Sherlock was in the prime of his career and would not let John's worries bring him down.

The days were good, with attention from the media Sherlock was getting more and more clients and more job offers. Some were the same old boring jobs as before but once in a while a gem would appear and catch Sherlock's attention. It would be one little phone call to change everything.

Sherlock sat in the kitchen which had mostly been converted into a home lab. They hardly needed their kitchen anymore as Collette or Mrs Hudson usually did the cooking. As he examined his latest experiment on mold, his phone began to ring. It was nothing, he convinced himself as he continued his work.

"Sherlock, phone!" John called from the living room as he watched the morning news.

"Leave it." Sherlock replied, earning a sigh from John despite the fact that he had made an effort to reply instead of ignore him.

"I'll get it." Collette said, not wanting a fight between the boys even if she was in a hurry to get ready for work. John watched from his chair and waited to know what the call was about. While the conversation sounded dull with Collette simply answering a few 'ok's and 'I'll let him know', John knew that something had happened. Collette had a look of fear on her face, John was not as observant as Sherlock but he could see it.

"What is it?" John asked quickly as Collette sat the phone back down. She looked to John and then to Sherlock who was still focused on his slides.

"Sherlock..." Collette said in a quiet voice.

"Mm?" Sherlock replied to show he was listening.

"He's back." It was all Collette needed to say before both boys were alert and needing to know more. Lestrade had not given too much information but what he did say was enough, Moriarty was back and he had almost stolen the Crown jewels. It would be all over the news soon enough for all to see. With a kiss on the forehead from Sherlock, the boys were off to be briefed on the case.

Collette sat in the car on the way to work as she checked her phone for the fifth time since the boys had left. Something about Moriarty made her worry, he was intelligent but completely mad. The man was not a common killer, he was willing to go to the extreme to get what he wanted and what he wanted was Sherlock.

Sherlock and John watched the footage closely. The Crown jewels, the Bank of England and the Pentonville Prison had all been broken into with a push of a button on Moriarty's phone. What made this Sherlock's business was the message left by Moriarty. Get Sherlock. Two little words that drew Sherlock and John back into Moriarty's games.

"What do you know?" Mycroft asked Collette the moment she stepped into the office. Collette removed her coat and sighed.

"Less than you, I'm guessing." Collette answered as she looked over to Mycroft. He didn't look pleased but Collette knew this was not because of her but because of Moriarty. The man put everyone on edge.

"Alright, let me know if you hear anything." Mycroft dismissed as he shifted in his chair. It was unlike him to drop the subject so easily, as normally he'd send Collette off to get answers. Still, as this was an unusual case Collette decided to let her little observation go as she set her mind to her work.

John and Sherlock returned home after looking over the case. Right now there was little they could do as Moriarty was captured and waiting for trial. At least John believed there was little to do but instead found himself groaning over Sherlock's decision to study computer coding. Sherlock always knew more than John in regards to their cases but usually John was happy not to have to deal with most of it. Instead he checked his phone to find a message, which he was guessing Sherlock had as well.

"Collette is stressed." John started as Sherlock sat at his computer.

"It's no surprise, working for my brother." Sherlock replied dismissively.

"No Sherlock, she's stressed because of Moriarty." John corrected as he sent a message.

"Oh. Should I buy her chocolate for this or..." Sherlock asked, still learning how he was meant to respond to most 'female drama'.

"No, just replying to her texts would be good." John said with a sigh, the two had been dating for months now and Sherlock still had no idea what he was doing.

"Right." Sherlock replied as he took out his phone and saw four texts waiting for him.

Collette looked down to her phone as it beeped several times. John and Sherlock were home. She was not given much more information but was happy to know where they were. The next few weeks would continue like this, Sherlock obsessing over the case while Collette worried and John tried to keep her calm.

The day of the trial came and Collette was glad to know it would all be over soon. Sherlock knew better of course but said nothing as he made himself presentable. Collette stood in the hallway and fixed John's tie.

"Are you sure you want to come?" John asked carefully. Collette had experienced trauma at the hands of Moriarty and seeing him again would be difficult. He and Sherlock had also had similar experiences with Moriarty but they were different and more prepared for such events.

"I think I need to." Collette answered seriously. Seeing him locked up would do her good. John gave a nod and ushered everyone out. Collette put her hand up to block the lights of the flashing cameras as the three made their way to the police car waiting. The drive was uncomfortable, Collette squirmed in her seat.

"Now Sherlock, you have to be serious for this. Answer the questions and keep in simple." John lectured as Sherlock looked out the window, his mind full.

"Wouldn't want anyone to think I'm intelligent." Sherlock muttered.

"Intelligent yes, but maybe not a smart arse." John replied and looked to Collette.

"I can't do anything." Collette said quickly, knowing Sherlock was already set on what he would say.

"You're his girlfriend, don't you have some trick?" John asked, Sherlock often did things for Collette so there must be something she did.

"What am I supposed to do? Offer sex or a blowjob for behaving? That stuff doesn't work on him and you know it." Collette snapped, she was nervous. John looked twice at her but realised it was true.

"I always thought that you offered to let him use your fridge for his mold or something." John said, knowing regular bribes wouldn't work.

"No, usually I threaten to hide his scarf or sometimes even his coat." Collette said with a smile.

"She's very skilled at it, if she didn't want you to find something you wouldn't." Sherlock added in as he kept his gaze out the window.

"And I can't really threaten him with it now, he's got his coat and scarf." Collette said as John sighed.

"It will be fine, I'll just be myself." Sherlock said, earning scoldings from both John and Collette.

Sherlock stood in the bathroom and washed his hands when he heard a bag drop and a feminine gasp.

"You're him." The voice spoke. Sherlock turned to see the woman in front of him, she wore a deerstalker had and had a handmade 'I heart Sherlock' badge on her front. Sherlock sighed as he reached for some paper towel.

"Wrong toilet." He replied and turned from her.

"I'm a big fan." The girl continued as she moved closer. Sherlock turned again to see her almost against him.

"There are two kinds of fans in this world." Sherlock started, not amused.

"Oh?" The girl asked with a smile.

"Type one, the 'catch me before I kill again' fan. And type two, the 'my bedroom's only a cab ride away' fan." Sherlock continued as he looked down to the girl.

"And which one am I?" The girl asked with a flirtatious smile.

"Neither. You're just here for the big story." Sherlock said, seeing he was right by the girl's reaction.

"Oh I'd heard you were good. Go on then, tell me how you knew." The girl said with a smile.

"The pressure marks on your wrist. You were writing at a desk, high pressure. Then there's ink on your hand, newpaper print. But the ink was smeared on with your own index finger, placed there to see if I'd pick it up. No, you don't work in the printing room. You're a reporter. Still waiting for your big break too, I would say. Professional skirt but it's been hemmed twice, only one you own. And your nails are chipped, can't afford to have them done." Sherlock said as he analysed her with ease.

"You are good. The name's Kitty Riley. So how about an interview?" Kitty said as she slipped her card into his pocket.

"I'm not interested." Sherlock dismissed.

"One day you'll need someone to tell your side of the story. I'm smart and I'm trustworthy." Kitty continued.

"Oh, smart are you? So you're an investigatory reporter. Well then, you don't need an interview. You can get all you need just by looking at me." Sherlock said, disgusted by the woman.

"I'm offering you a chance to give your opinion." Kitty said with a frown. Sherlock pulled the recorder from her pocket.

"I'll give you my opinion then. You repel me." Sherlock said as he handed back the recorder and left to find the others. Kitty watched in shock, determined to get a story.

Collette looked at herself in the mirror as she carefully fixed her makeup. She would not consider herself a vain person but with the media so focused on Sherlock she was trying to look presentable. She had been featured in a few photos with him and one was not her best. Collette packed away her lipgloss and mascara when the bathroom door opened and another woman walked in. Collette gave a polite smile as she washed her hands.

"Oh, I know you. You're the girl that's seen with Sherlock Holmes." The woman said with a polite smile.

"Hi, yeah that's me." Collette said quietly, not liking the attention.

"So do you work with him too? Like John? I'm a real fan." The woman said, Collette could not analyse like Sherlock could but this girl made her uncomfortable.

"Oh, I sometimes work with him." Collette answered vaguely, wanting to be polite to a fan but not say too much. She did not know this woman and she knew what happened when you give out too much information.

"It must be so interesting. So is it true that he and John are... you know? I mean they do live together." The woman said with a smile. Collette had the urge to defend her boys, she knew how much it bothered John to constantly be confused as gay. John was not homophobic, he did have a gay sister afterall but to constantly be judged was a problem.

"John and Sherlock are not gay, I would know because I live with them too." Collette said, not thinking telling a small truth would be a problem.

"Oh really? Wow you must have some stories to tell." The girl replied with enthusiasm as she moved closer.

"Not really..." Collette evaded the question as she stepped back against the sink.

"But surely there must be something... I really would love to know." The girl continued. Collette had nothing left to say and was relieved when Sherlock burst through the door.

"There you are, I thought you were going to stay with John. Shouldn't be alone with vultures like this running around." Sherlock said as he signalled Collette over.

"I can go to the bathroom without one of you there to hold my hand you know." Collette said as she was taken by the arm and pulled from the bathroom, thankful he came. Kitty smiled to herself, having something to write about.

"That woman was a reporter, what did you say to her?" Sherlock asked as he walked with Collette to meet up with John.

"Nothing actually, I just stayed polite and evasive." Collette answered with a smile.

"Good girl. Now stay with John, I'll meet you both back here after the trial." Sherlock said as he went on his way. Collette sighed and looked over to John.

"Aren't outings with Sherlock so fun?" Collette said playfully, trying to relax her nerves. John smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked into the courtroom.

"Keeps life interesting." John replied.

The trial went as expected, John and Collette sat in the back and watched as Sherlock showed off. His description of Moriarty was taken as a compliment to the man himself. Moriarty also took a moment to look back at Collette and John to give a wicked smile. It made Collette very uncomfortable. John took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Sherlock continued to be his usual self, while it offered some amusement it eventually drove the Judge to harsh measures. Sherlock went too far and was thrown in a holding cell.

Collette and John stood in wait as Sherlock was released and collected his things. Collette took Sherlock's hand while John began to scold the man. The next day would be better, Collette told herself. Moriarty was caught red handed, he would be thrown in prison for the rest of his life and she could rest easily again.

Collette and John sat in court the next day to watch the rest of the trial. Sherlock had been banned from attending. Everything seemed to be going as planned though Moriarty made no defense. Collette watched as the speaker for the jury stood to give the verdict. Collette was waiting, knowing she could relax when she heard that one little word.

"Not guilty." The woman said in a shakey voice. Two little words changed the game. Moriarty was a free man. John and Collette looked to one another. Sherlock needed to be warned. The two power walked up the pavement outside the courthouse as John told Sherlock what had happened over the phone. Collette desperately tried to flag down a cab but with no luck.

"Sherlock, he's out! He'll be coming for you. Moriarty will be coming for you!" John repeated, knowing the criminal would get to Sherlock before they could. They needed to get home and quickly before Moriarty could.

**Author's note: Hope you all liked this one, as you can see by the chapter's title this is The Reichenbach Fall. So as you can all deduce, this little storyline will be the last. In a few more chapters 221C Baker Street will be coming to an end. I would love to continue on with this story but there was only so much I could write. I can assure you all that once the third season of Sherlock returns, I will be writing a sequel to this story. Until then, enjoy what is left and please review!**


	39. The Reichenbach Fall pt II

The kettle boiled and the sounds of tea cups clinking together as they were placed on a tray were heard through the kitchen of 221B as Sherlock prepared for his visitor. While Collette and John rushed to get back to the flat and feared the worst, Sherlock knew better. Moriarty wanted to destroy him and he loved a good game just as much as Sherlock did so Sherlock knew that Moriarty would not come to kill him.

Moriarty picked the lock of 221B Baker street with the skill of a man who has done so a million times before. He walked up the stairs slowly to the sound of the violin playing. He froze as the stair creaked beneath his shoe and the violin stopped. As the music started up again, he knew he was expected. Walking into the living room he looked around casually, he had been in this flat before but would still treat this like his first visit.

"Bach would be appalled." Moriarty said as Sherlock placed his violin down.

"Most people knock, but you're not really most people. Kettle's boiled." Sherlock said casually as if Moriarty was an old acquaintance.

"May I?" Moriarty asked as he approached the armchairs.

"Of course." Sherlock said, offering John's chair. Moriarty looked to the chair before sitting in Collette's purple armchair. He knew this would anger Sherlock. Sherlock ignored this and instead moved into the kitchen to fetch the tea. Moriarty grabbed an apple from the bowl on the coffee table and started to carve out his little message.

"You know when he was on his deathbed. Bach, he heard his son at the piano playing one of his pieces. The boy stopped before he got to the end." Moriarty called to make conversation, he would take his time with this, he would enjoy starting the game.

"And the dying man jumped out of bed, ran straight to the piano and finished it." Sherlock replied as he brought out the tray, observing that Moriarty was left handed.

"Couldn't handle an unfinished melody." Moriarty replied, taking a bite from his apple.

"Neither can you, it's why you've come." Sherlock said, placing the tea on the coffee table and adjusting the cup handle to the right.

"But let's be honest, you're just a tiny bit pleased." Moriarty said as he turned the cup to drink.

"With the verdict, you mean?" Sherlock questioned as he sat in his own chair.

"With me being back. Every fairytale needs a good old fashioned villian." Moriarty said with a smile.

"You think this a fairytale?" Sherlock questioned.

"Well it has everything, doesn't it? John, the brave knight. Collette, the defenseless princess. And you, the hero coming up against me, the villian." Moriarty said with a smile, putting emphasis on the word 'defenseless'.

"I see." Sherlock replied, lacing his hands together in thought.

"You need me to complete the tale, without me you're nothing. We're a lot alike actually, except you're boring. You're on the side of the angels." Moriarty said as he picked up his apple again.

"You got to the jury, of course." Sherlock added, changing the subject.

"I got into the Tower of London, twelve hotel rooms is nothing." Moriarty answered. Sherlock knew already, cable television.

"How are you going to do it then, 'burn me'?" Sherlock asked in a mocking tone.

"Oh that's the problem. The Final Problem. Have you worked out what it is yet? What's the final problem? I did tell you. But did you listen? How hard do you find it? Having to say, 'I don't know.'?" Moriarty asked with a smile after a moment of Sherlock pondering.

"I don't know." Sherlock replied.

"Ah, clever. Very clever. Speaking of clever, have you told your friends yet?" Moriarty asked, enjoying the game already.

"Told them what?" Sherlock asked, still interested in what the criminal had to say.

"Why I broke into all those places and never took anything." Moriarty answered.

"No." Sherlock said, looking to the side.

"But you understand." Moriarty stated.

"Obviously." Sherlock replied in his usual tone.

"Go on then." Moriarty said with a wave of his hand.

"You want me to tell you what you already know?" Sherlock questioned.

"No, I want you to prove that you know it." Moriarty replied with a smile.

"You didn't take anything from all those places because you didn't need to." Sherlock started.

"Good." Moriarty replied.

"You'll never need to take anything ever again." Sherlock said.

"Very good, because?" Moriarty pushed.

"Because nothing, nothing in any of those places could be worth more than the key that opens them." Sherlock finished.

"I can open any door anywhere with a few tiny lines of computer code. No such thing as a private bank account now, they're all mine. No such thing as secrecy. I own secrecy. Nuclear codes. I could blow up NATO in alphabetical order. In a world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king, and honey, you should see me in a crown." Moriarty said with a smirk.

"You were advertising all the way through the trial. You were showing the world what you can do." Sherlock stated as he realised this for the first time.

"And you were helping. Big client list. Rogue governments. Intelligence communities. Terror cells. They all want me. Suddenly, I'm Mr. Sex. " Moriarty said simply.

"Why do you care about the highest bidder? You could break into any bank." Sherlock questioned.

"I don't care about them. I just like to watch them all competing. 'Daddy loves me the best!'. Aren't ordinary people adorable? Well you know. You've got John. I should get myself a live-in one. Maybe I could take Collette off your hands, not like you know what to do with her anyway." Moriarty said with a smirk. Sherlock shifted in his chair, not knowing how the man could know about his private life although he had a few ideas.

"Why are you doing all this?" Sherlock asked, changing the subject.

"I want to solve the problem. Our problem. The Final Problem. It's going to start very soon, Sherlock. The Fall. But don't be scared. Falling's just like flying except there's a more permanent destination." Moriarty said as he stood up, causing Sherlock to stand in unison.

"I don't like riddles." Sherlock said as the criminal moved closer.

"Learn to. Because I owe you a fall, Sherlock. I. O. U." Moriarty said as he sat down his apple and left. Sherlock looked down to the apple with the same three letters carved into it. The game had begun.

Time passed and the only thing to happen was a horrid newspaper scandal. Kitty Riley's exclusive story on the 'ménage à trois' relationship that was Collette, Sherlock and John. Kitty had managed to capture photographs from the trial of Collette and John holding hands (for support), John with his arm around Collette and of course photos of Collette and Sherlock together. The scandal did not bother Sherlock in the least, as he made a point to explain that ménage à trois translated to 'household of three' and thought that seemed to fit the trio quite well. John also did not seem to mind the story, thinking it was better than having people constantly think he was gay. It was Collette who found the story horrifying as her English relatives found out and were soon calling to ask if it was true.

Moriarty had yet to show himself again. He was surely taking his time to enjoy himself. Sherlock continued to wait for his next move. Collette worried herself senseless, knowing that Moriarty could be around any corner. She knew what he was willing to do and did not want to go through it all again.

"Collette, make tea won't you? Our guest should be arriving soon." Mycroft said as he read the paper in his chair. Collette gave a nod and left the lavish room to go to the kitchens where the rest of the service staff were located. They were currently at the Diogenes Club, a gentleman's club that came with a strict set of rules. None of the members were to take any notice of one another and there was no talking permitted. Collette often thought of the place as the centre of antisocial high society. Collette gave a silent smile to the other workers in the kitchen as she prepared tea. They could not give one another even a simple 'hello' and so the staff usually gave one another looks that read as 'I can't believe they make us do this.' which was good enough for Collette. She was not talkative herself and so sometimes the Diogenes Club was a nice change from the office. Other days it just annoyed her to have to be silent unless in Mycroft's private room. With a tray set for two, Collette returned to Mycroft and sat the tray on the desk as she turned to greet their guest.

"John, what are you doing here?" She asked with surprise.

"Take a seat, won't you Collette? This will include you too." Mycroft said, signalling to the empty chair beside John.

"Exactly how often does he bring people in like this?" John asked after having an uncomfortable arrival and being dragged into Mycroft's office.

"Not nearly as often as you would think." Collette answered with a smile.

"You're here for a serious matter." Mycroft cut in quickly as he pushed a file in front of the two.

"Who are we looking at?" John questioned as he looked at the photo of a bald man.

"Don't know him? He just moved in two houses down from 221B Baker street." Mycroft said as if it should be obvious.

"Oh, well I was thinking of doing a drinks thing for the neighbours." John replied with sarcasm.

"Not sure you'll want to. He's a trained killer." Mycroft said as he placed down several more photos of different people.

"Don't tell me, all just as dangerous as the first?" Collette asked, feeling her stomach twist.

"All living in Baker street. Worked it out yet?" Mycroft asked.

"Worked out that it's time to move." John answered, he was used to threats on his life by now.

"Moriarty." Collette said quietly as she looked to John.

"If it was Moriarty then Sherlock would be dead by now." John replied, placing a hand on Collette's shoulder.

"If it's not Moriarty, who would it be?" Mycroft questioned, making John see that he was right.

"Ok, so why don't you just talk to Sherlock then?" John asked but received a look from Collette.

"The last time Mycroft tried talking to Sherlock, my favourite mug was thrown across the room." Collette offered as reasoning.

"That only happened because Sherlock hated the mug and wanted an excuse to get rid of it." John said, thinking that should have been known.

"That arse." Collette snapped though would forget to punish Sherlock for his actions.

"So basically, you won't talk to him because of sibling rivalry?" John asked Mycroft.

"Too much history between us, John. Old scores, resentments." Mycroft replied as if he and Sherlock were archenemies.

"Let me guess, you knocked all his Smurfs? He broke your Batman action figure?" John mocked. Mycroft rolled his eyes but signalled to Collette.

"You can finish for the day, escort John out and keep him out of the main rooms. Don't want to cause anymore trouble." Mycroft said as he picked up his newspaper again.

"Can do." Collette replied as she grabbed her bag.

"Oh and do be careful won't you? Don't need another story about you spending more time with John behind Sherlock's back." Mycroft teased, today Kitty Riley had published another story about theories on which man Collette favored. As Collette and John did most of the household errands, there were far more photographs of them together.

"Oh shut up." Collette replied, enjoying that she had a boss she could say that to. She left the room for a moment to go fetch her coat.

"You don't really believe that rubish do you?" John asked as he finished his tea.

"When I've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how mad it might seem, must be the truth." Mycroft spoke, quoting Sherlock.

"And what truth do you see, exactly?" John asked out of curiousity.

"Collette may be with Sherlock romantically but the two of you have a strong relationship as well. She is the main female in your life and you offer her more emotional support than Sherlock likely does. The three of you may not be joined in a sexual relationship, but it is hard to deny that you do not have some kind of relationship that is more than friendship." Mycroft said as he looked over to John from his paper.

"Ready to go." Collette said as she walked back into the room, pulling on her coat. John gave Mycroft a strange look before he followed.

"Collette?" John asked as the two left the club and got into the awaiting car.

"Hmm?" Collette replied as she checked her phone.

"Do you... you don't think that the three of us have a relationship that's more than friendship, do you? No, you don't, of course you don't." John babbled out in curiousity.

"Well of course we do." Collette answered as she put away her phone to look at John.

"Oh... well I... I mean, I don't know what Sherlock would think of that." John said, unsure what this new confession mean. Collette laughed and placed a hand on John's arm.

"Not like that, John. We have more than friendship, but that doesn't mean it's anything sexual or taboo. We're a family, us three." Collette answered with a smile. John relaxed with a sigh.

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry, I thought..." John said, looking over.

"I know, people probably believe the papers because it's almost true. It's probably why you have such a hard time keeping a girlfriend, the girls you date don't really fit in with our life." Collette commented, thinking it must be hard for John.

"Maybe I should try dating Molly." John thought aloud, remembering when the four of them had gone out for a night on the town.

"Molly's a great girl." Collette replied with a smile.

The two got out of the car and walked up to their front door together. A wax sealed envelope had been half pushed under the door and was waiting for them. John picked it up and opened it to discover breadcrumbs. It was strange but strange things happened to them all the time. John slipped the envelope into his pocket as they went upstairs to the living room.

"Sherlock, we just-" John started as he saw Lestrade standing with Sherlock.

"There's been a kidnapping. He's playing the game, John." Sherlock said with a look of excitement.

"Sherlock, sweetie. A kidnapping should not make you so happy." Collette said, it had always been her and John's job to correct Sherlock in times like these.

"I'm not happy, I'm thrilled!" Sherlock said as he picked Collette up and whirled her around the room before giving her a passionate kiss. Collette found herself smiling, it was wrong of her to feel so happy when there was a case to be solved but seeing Sherlock as excited as a child on Christmas day made her happy.

"Go do some good, detective." Collette said with a smile as she saw her boys off. This would be the last time Collette would see the detective and the doctor together.

**Author's note: Sorry for the cliffhanger! Just wanted to say that I did not like having to directly quote the episode so much, but felt it was needed for the talks between Sherlock and Moriarty and the talk between John and Mycroft. Of course Collette got added in too, but quite a few lines were directly quited from the show. As always, thanks for the support and please review!**


	40. The Reichenbach Fall pt III

Collette watched her boys go off to solve crimes as she wondered how this would end. With a sigh she pushed all thoughts of Moriarty away and went about trying to clean up the kitchen of 221B. Sherlock's experiments were interesting but he rarely cleaned up after himself if he was busy with something else.

"Honestly, that man is like a child that goes from one toy to the next." She muttered as she carefully moved the lab equipment around and wiped down the benches. Collette was thankful that she had refused to let Sherlock use her kitchen from the very start. At least her own flat was normal. Her kitchen was used for cooking, not growing mold. Her bathroom was used for washing, not storing samples of dog hair or any number of things. Collette did not dare to actually go into the boy's bathroom anymore, especially after John started using her bathroom to shower. By now she was used to seeing body parts in the fridge, little notes left around about rather graphic things and her milk constantly going missing because Sherlock used it for his tests. Collette could not guess what exactly was being kept in the bathroom, she had the idea that whatever was in there was not actually shocking but rather disgusting. John was a doctor and helped solve murders, he could handle body parts, blood and a large number of other things. So for John to no longer like using his own bathroom, whatever was in there made him uncomfortable. Collette decided it was probably something decayed as John often took deep breathes whenever he did use the bathroom for the toilet. The door bell rang twice, taking Collette away from her thoughts on half rotten lab rats or aggressive mold.

Collette opened the door to an elderly, pleasant looking woman. She gave Collette a kind smile and held out a white box to her. Collette took the box and wondered what it could be, it looked like the type used for cakes.

"Who is this for?" Collette asked softly.

"Miss Collette, I believe that is you dear." The woman said sweetly.

"I didn't order anything." Collette replied as she opened the box to find a still warm, delicious smelling pie.

"Ordered by one Sherlock Holmes. He asked me to deliver it personally." The woman replied. Collette raised an eyebrow.

"Sherlock has never sent me food before." Collette commented, more to herself.

"He also asked me to tell you that it was John's idea. Because they will be working late and apparently that's what boyfriends do when they will be missing dinner." The woman said, clearing a few things up.

"Ah of course, thoughtful John trying to help Sherlock stay in the good books." Collette replied with a smile.

"Now you eat that while it's warm dear, that is when it's best." The woman said and with a wave hobbled off back to wherever she came from. Collette watched the old woman before going back up to the kitchen. At least with the counters clean, she was able to serve up a slice of pie. Collette eagerly started her slice of apple pie as she walked into the living room. After a few steps, she felt dizzy. Collette held her forehead and wondered if she was in for a headache, she did not make it to her chair before passing out.

Sherlock and John went through the crime scene at the children's boarding school. Sherlock had discovered the Grimm's fairytale book as well as footprints which he was currently cutting up from the floorboards. The case was all Sherlock could think about, he was focused and determined. He would beat Moriarty's game. Sherlock sighed as he heard the familiar ringtone of John's phone go off.

"Hmm, it's Mrs Hudson." John commented as he drew his phone from his pocket.

"Leave it. She'll leave a message. It will most likely be to pick up bread or milk on the way home. We're on the case, no distractions." Sherlock said as he stood and walked off with purpose. John signed and slipped the phone away before following.

The boys were soon in the lab at Saint Bart's with Molly. Sherlock sat behind his microscope after an uncomfortable chat with Molly as he tested what he had removed from the footprint. John walked around the lab and stopped as he examined the evidence gathered.

"Sherlock..." John started as he looked at the envelope that held the book of Grimm.

"What is it now, John?" Sherlock asked dryly, busy with his tests.

"There was another one of these. Someone left an envelope with the same seal at our door." John said as he pulled out the envelope from his pocket. Sherlock was soon by his side as he examined it's contents.

"Breadcrumbs." Sherlock commented as he opened the book and soon found the story of Hansel and Gretel. This little lead was enough for Sherlock to unravel the case. With what had been collected from the footprint and the clue Moriarty left, Sherlock was easily able to solve the mystery.

Lestrade watched in awe as Sherlock solved the case in a matter of hours as he used his unique skills and 'homeless network' to track down the abandoned sweets factory. The children were found, the boy was in a coma and needed to be hospitalised while the girl was brought into the station to be questioned. Lestrade hated cases involving children, he hated seeing children hurt in anyway. After years in the force, he could handle just about anything with adults but seeing a child cry was always enough to effect him.

"Now she's been through a lot, so try not to be... well-" Lestrade started as he got Sherlock ready to go and speak with the girl.

"Try not to be me." Sherlock finished, knowing full well his lack of skills with children. Lestrade sighed and gave a nod. John followed Sherlock into the booth and was quickly pulled out again as the girl started screaming once she saw Sherlock's face.

"Try not to take it too personally, I often want to scream when I see your face." Lestrade said once the trio were back in his office and away from the girl. John gave Sherlock a moment while he took the time to finally check his message.

"Sherlock... Sherlock, Mrs Hudson did not want bread or milk. Collette is at St Barts." John said with urgency.

"What? Is she visiting Molly? What did I miss?" Sherlock questioned, not thinking anything could truly be wrong.

"No, she was hospitalised. Sherlock, he got to her!" John all but shouted, the message had been vague. Mrs Hudson had called to say Collette had been taken to hospital and that she would stay there with her.

The case was momentarily forgotten as the boys left the station and made their way to the hospital. John spoke on the phone to Mrs Hudson during the cab ride, gathering more information.

"What did he do to her?" Sherlock questioned seriously as John tucked his phone away.

"She was drugged. She will be ok, she'll just be out for a while. I'll talk to the doctors more when we get there but she's safe, Sherlock. They found an apple pie in the kitchen, she'd eaten that. I don't know where she got it from though." John said.

"My princess..." Sherlock mused to himself.

"What?" John questioned.

"When I last spoke to Moriarty, he said that Collette was my princess. The story of Snow White, princess left alone while the men went off to work. An elderly woman comes and gives her a poisoned apple." Sherlock said, once again Moriarty had set up a fairytale.

"But in the story, the prince comes and gives Snow White a kiss to wake her. With the drug, it's just a matter of waiting for it's effects to wear off." John commented.

"Yes well in the story of Hansel and Gretel they kill the witch to escape. He isn't sticking to the stories, just using them as inspiration for his games." Sherlock explained as if it should be obvious.

"So what game has he played with Collette? She'll wake up and be ok. There's nothing there to solve." John replied, angry with the man who had caused them all so much trouble.

"I believe he only drugged her to prove how easily he could get to her. It's just another distraction as he toys with us." Sherlock said calmly, trying to solve the case of the key code and Moriarty's clue of 'I O U'.

"But Collette isn't a distraction, she is one of us." John snapped, tired of the games and tired of Sherlock enjoying them.

Soon the boys walked into the hospital, it was passed visiting hours but Molly was able to get them into Collette's room. Mrs Hudson sat in the small chair beside Collette's bed. John approached first as Sherlock held back to look around the room. He touched Collette's hand and looked over to Mrs Hudson.

"Has anyone suspicious come into this room?" John questioned, wondering if Collette was left vulnerable.

"No, Molly has stayed back to make sure everything has been ok. She's a good girl really, very helpful." Mrs Hudson said with a tired smile. Sherlock finally moved in and brushed the stray hair from Collette's face. She never did like her hair in her face. With that small gesture of care, he placed his hands behind his back and looked to Mrs Hudson.

"How long was she out before you came home?" He questioned.

"It couldn't have been long. Half an hour at the most really." Mrs Hudson said with a frown, regretting her actions although she was not to blame.

"You should go home, get some rest. We can take it from here." John said, prepared to camp out in a hospital chair if he needed to.

"Oh no, I'll stay. You boys need to go get that horrible man. The sooner you get him the sooner we can all relax." Mrs Hudson said.

"Right, well at least let's go get you a cup of tea. Sherlock, stay with Collette." John offered as he helped the older woman up. Sherlock watched the two leave before looking over to Collette once more. He never knew how to offer comfort in times like these. He was the reason that Collette was in this mess, once again Moriarty had targeted her. Perhaps this one wasn't a game with Sherlock but rather a game with Collette. Moriarty did not understand their relationship and did not think it worked, perhaps Moriarty was pushing Collette to see how much she could take before leaving Sherlock. Sherlock looked down to her peaceful face, knowing he would not blame her if she did ever choose to leave. Leaning down, Sherlock pressed a small kiss to Collette's lips although he knew it would not wake her.

Sherlock was seated on the end of the bed when John and Mrs Hudson returned, he was talking although no one was around. John gave Mrs Hudson a look and sighed, Sherlock often did it. He would talk to himself when he was home alone because he assumed that John or Collette were there to listen. Now he was talking, thinking aloud as if Collette could actually hear him and give him advice.

"Come on Sherlock, let's go home." John said with more patience than usual. Sherlock looked up from the spot on the floor he had been staring at.

"Yes, of course." Sherlock said as he realised what he had been doing before following John.

"I don't like the idea of them being left alone." John said once the two men were alone in the hallway.

"They will be fine, but if it eases you they won't be alone." Sherlock said as he walked with purpose. He had to solve the case, had to finish Moriarty's game once and for all. John knew that Sherlock had done something but did not dare to question, knowing he'd be told off for wasting time with silly questions that he should already know the answer to. The boys stood outside the hospital and hailed down a cab.

"You take the next one, I'm going alone to think." Sherlock ordered as he opened the cab door.

"What's stopping you from thinking with me?" John questioned.

"You might talk." Sherlock replied with a smirk before getting in and being driven off. Sherlock closed his eyes for a moment, unaware that the man driving his cab was none other than Moriarty himself.


	41. The Reichenbach Fall pt IV

Sherlock sat in the back of the cab with his hands together. There had to be something he was missing, some extra piece of the puzzle. He went over everything he knew in his head until the small television flicked on. Sherlock called for the cabby but soon fell silent as Moriarty appeared on the screen. Sherlock watched intently as Moriarty played another fairytale game as he told the story of 'Sir Boast-a-lot'.

"Stop the cab! Stop the cab, what was that?!" Sherlock shouted as the cabby pulled over and Sherlock jumped from the car to move around and confront the driver.

"No charge." Moriarty said with a smile as he drove off.

"Come back!" Sherlock shouted as he chased after the cab, giving up when he knew it was useless. Sherlock did not get time to respond as he saw another car coming his way, he was in the middle of the road. Just in time, Sherlock was pulled out of the way by a large man.

"Careful!" The man said before going silent.

"Thank you." Sherlock said and offered the man his hand, having noticed the man before on Baket street. The men hesitantly shook Sherlock's hand and was shot where he was standing. Sherlock moved back and looked around quickly but knew the shooter could be in any one of the hundreds of windows in the surrounding area.

"Sherlock, Sherlock!" John called as he ran up to him.

"Move John." Sherlock ordered as they began walking on foot. John explained that the man was a trained killer that had recently moved in closeby. Sherlock knew it was Moriarty's way of watching him but why was the man killed for touching him? There was more to the puzzle than Sherlock knew right now. Back at the empty flat Sherlock went directly to his laptop. John went into the kitchen and put the kettle on before coming back to find Sherlock rummaging around the living room.

"What are you doing?" John questioned.

"We're being watched. There's a camera somehow in here. Dust, what has been cleaned recently?" Sherlock asked as he looked over the shelves.

"Cleaned? What? Why is dust important?" John asked, not quite catching on.

"Everything can be replaced except dust. It's delicate, has to build up over time." Sherlock explained as he pulled the tiny spy camera from the bookshelf. Moriarty had been watching them the entire time. Sherlock found himself growing angry as he realised Moriarty had watched Collette eat the pie and fall.

"Sherlock? Did you even hear the door? Sherlock? Oh, I'll get it then." John said with a sigh as he left the detective to fiddle with the camera. John walked down the stairs and opened the door to find Lestrade at the door.

"Can I come in, John?" Lestrade asked.

"Uh, yeah sure." John replied as he walked the inspector up to see Sherlock. There must have been more happening with the case.

"This was on your door, too." Lestrade said, handing over a package with the same red seal as the Grimm book and the envelope of breadcrumbs.

"Sherlock!" John called as he hurred up to the living room to hand over the package. Sherlock opened it quickly to find a burnt gingerbread man.

"Burnt to a crisp..." Sherlock commented, this was it. Moriarty wanted Sherlock to burn.

"I'd like you to come down to the station to answer a few questions." Lestrade said carefully.

"Do you have a warrant?" Sherlock asked, it was time to stop playing Moriarty's game.

"Uh well no." Lestrade answered.

"You'll need one if you want me to come in." Sherlock replied.

"Sherlock, this is serious. It would look better if you just-" John started, trying to help.

"I'm not going." Sherlock replied seriously, giving John a look.

"Right, understood." Lestrade said, looking to the boys before going to inform Donovan and the others.

"You should have gone with him Sherlock, people will think-" John started, not wanting people to doubt him.

"I don't care what people think, John." Sherlock replied dismissively as he returned to the computer.

"You'd care if they thought you were stupid or wrong." John argued.

"No, that would make them stupid or wrong." Sherlock retorted.

"Sherlock, I don't want the world to start believing you're..." John said, looking down.

"That I am what?" Sherlock pushed with a frown.

"A fraud." John finished, looking over to his friend.

"Because you think they might be right." Sherlock said as he stood from his seat.

"No." John replied seriously.

"That's why you're so upset. You're worried you've been taken in as well." Sherlock argued, moving closer.

"No, I'm not." John replied.

"Can't you see what he's doing? He's getting into your head, John!" Sherlock shouted.

"No, I know you're real." John said, keeping himself in check.

"One hundred percent?" Sherlock questioned.

"Nobody could fake being such a dick all the time." John replied with a small smile as he moved to the window. Sherlock found himself chuckle as he returned to his seat.

"I wouldn't do that to you John, or to her." Sherlock said quietly after a moment, not thinking John would hear. John smiled to himself from the window as he returned to the kitchen to make tea. It would be a long night.

Sherlock and John had only just finished their tea when the buzzer rang. John sighed and went down to answer it as Sherlock stood and got his scarf and coat on. He knew what was coming. Donovan came in, looking very pleased with herself.

"Sherlock Holmes, I'm arresting you on suspicion of abduction and kidnapping." She said seriously as she slapped the cuffs on his wrists. John watched as two officers lead Sherlock downstairs. Donovan took her time to look around the living room littered with unique pieces.

"I did warn you." She said to John as the Chief Superintendent came into the room and scowled.

"Can't believe we've been giving that _freak_ all our cases." He said with a taste of disgust. John looked over to the man. Not a moment later John was escorted downstairs to be cuffed to Sherlock against a police car.

"Joining me?" Sherlock asked.

"Yeah. Apparently it's against the law to chin the Chief Superintendent." John replied with his usual sass, causing Sherlock to smirk.

"A bit awkward this." Sherlock commented as he looked around, formulating a plan.

"There's no one to bail us out." John replied.

"I was thinking more about our imminent and daring escape." Sherlock replied as he moved quickly to press a button on the police radio, causing all the officers around to be distracted by the horrible feedback buzzing through the radios. While the nearest police officer was distracted, Sherlock quickly grabbed his gun and held shot it into the air.

"Oh uh, just so you're aware, the gun was his idea. I'm just... just a... you know..." John started quickly as Sherlock lead them away from the officers.

"My hostage!" Sherlock shouted as he placed the gun to John's head.

"Hostage. Yes, that works. What now?" John asked as he moved back.

"We do what he wants: become a fugitive. Run!" Sherlock said quietly as the pair ran off into the nearest back street. The chase was on. The boys ran through the streets, Sherlock leading as he had a map of every street in his head. Sirens could be heard as they made their way further and further away from the noise. Finally they had to stop to catch their breath and think.

"We've got to work this out." John said as he leaned against a wall.

"Everybody wants to believe it, tThat's what makes it so clever. A lie that's preferable to the truth. All my brilliant deductions were just a sham. No one feels inadequate. Sherlock Holmes is just an ordinary man." Sherlock thought aloud.

"What about Mycroft? Can't he help? He's got ties all over and he could-" John started.

"Mycroft has helped enough, he has a much more important task." Sherlock said dismissively.

"What task? Oh... Collette." John said, knowing Sherlock had done something to ensure her safety.

"People walk in and out of hospitals everyday John. I had to have someone trustworthy and capable there for her." Sherlock explained, knowing that Collette and Mrs Hudson would be well protected.

"Sherlock." John whispered, getting Sherlock's attention as he signalled to someone who had been following them. One of the assassins. Sherlock looked to John and nodded before the two ran after the man and grabbed hold of his coat.

"Tell me what you want from me. Tell me!" Sherlock shouted, he had to solve this case.

"He left it at your flat." The man said, looking around nervously.

"Who?" Sherlock questioned.

"Moriarty." The man answered.

"What?" He asked again.

"The computer key code." The man replied.

"Of course. He's selling it. The program he used to break into the Tower. He planted it when he came around." Sherlock said as he let the man go, wheels spinning quickly in his head. He looked back to the man but could not question further before he was shot dead.

"Jesus." John said as they moved away from the body quickly and back into a back street.

"It's a game changer. It's a key that can break into any system and it's sitting in our flat right now. That's why he left that message—telling everyone where to come. 'Get Sherlock'. " Sherlock said quickly.

"Um, Sherlock." John said, looking down to the stack of newspapers they were standing beside. The front page advertised a full story on Sherlock, his childhood and his entire setup of his crimes.

"Who's Richard Brook?" John questioned, wondering who the key source was.

"No idea." Sherlock replied, knowing where there next stop would be.

Soon the boys stood outside Kitty Riley's flat. John had read over the paper along the way and wondered how this woman could have obtained so much information. She had written up so many lies about the trio's relationship that it was surprising she could come up with something like this. John knocked on the door, pushing it open as soon as Kitty answered it.

"Too late to go on the record?" Sherlock asked sarcastically.

"What the hell is this?" John demanded as he held up the newspaper.

"You're too late, you had your chance. I wanted to be on your side but you rejected me." Kitty said with a smile, looking proud of herself for her work.

"Do you know what you've done?!" John snapped, looking over as the door opened. Moriarty walked in carrying a bag, wearing casual clothes instead of his usual suits.

"You!" Sherlock said, making Moriarty jump as he played his character.

"Stay away from me! You said that they wouldn't find me here, you said that I'd be safe here." Moriarty shouted as he jumped back towards the stairs.

"You are safe. Richard, I'm a witness. They won't harm you in front of witnesses." Kitty reassured.

"That's your source? Moriarty is Richard Brook?" John asked angrily.

"Of course he's Richard Brook. There is no Moriarty. There never has been. Look him up." Kitty answered as she moved over to her paperwork.

"What are you talking about?" John asked, wondering how much this woman had been played.

"Rich Brook. An actor Sherlock Holmes hired to be Moriarty." Kitty said as she handed over the fake resume of Richard Brook.

"I'm an actor, I've been in children's shows. You have to believe me. Don't let him hurt me." Moriarty said, playing the scared fool as he moved slowly towards the closed window. Sherlock watched carefully, seeing Moriarty smirk over when both John and Kitty were distracted.

"This is a lie, tell her that you're lying!" John shouted as he moved in on Moriarty.

"Don't touch me! Stay back!" Moriarty shouted.

"You tried to blow me up! You tried to blow Collette up!" John shouted.

"It was just an act, he paid me to do it. You've got to believe me, you're a good man John. Please believe me!" Moriarty said shakenly.

"He's just a paid actor. I bet it was pretty good money to do those things, but not as good as selling his story would be." Kitty said with a smile. In the moment of distraction Moriarty moved quickly to the window and within a second he was gone. There was nothing left for Sherlock and John in the flat now, they were soon outside walking to a main road.

"Can he do that? Completely change his identity? Make you the criminal." John asked, still finding it all so crazy.

"He's got my whole life story. That's what you do. You sell a big lie. Wrap it up in a truth to make it more palatable." Sherlock explained as he walked and thought.

"So it will be your word against his." John commented.

"He's been sowing doubt into people's minds over the last twenty-four hours. There's only one thing he needs to do to complete his game, and that's- " Sherlocks started when it hit him. His death. That is how Moriarty would end this.

"Sherlock?" John asked, thinking Sherlock had gone off into his own little world again.

"There's something I need to do." Sherlock said seriously as he picked up his pace.

"Well can I help?" John asked.

"No, I need to do this on my own." Sherlock said as he waved down a cab. He would go to the labs of Saint Bart to see Molly. A death might need to occur and he wanted a backup plan.

John stood silently in the middle of the empty street as he decided his next move. Sherlock was off doing what Sherlock did best while he had time to spare. He could not go back to the flat, no doubt it was being watched. Instead, John knew where to go next. He would go see Mycroft and demand some answers.

**Author's note: So the next chapter will be the end, hope you've all enjoyed it! Please send in your reviews to show support. Thanks for reading!**


	42. The Reichenbach Fall pt V

John was angry. He had gone to see Mycroft, who was just leaving the hospital after staying with Collette. Now one of his best men was left to watch over her. Mycroft had admitted to giving Moriarty all the information he needed about Sherlock's life. That was why Mycroft originally asked Collette and John to watch over Sherlock, because Mycroft had made a mistake and was too proud to go to Sherlock himself.

Sherlock sat on the cold tiled floor of the lab in the morgue. In this moment, he was alone and wondering if he should be scared. He had made arrangements with Molly, placed his trust in her for an important task. If Moriarty needed Sherlock's death to complete his game, then there would be a death. But Sherlock was determined to stay one step ahead. Now he just needed to solve the final pieces of the puzzle.

"I got your text." John said as he walked into the lab and looked down at the silent detective.

"We need the key, if we find it then we can clear my name." Sherlock said, sometimes finding John's odd questions or comments to be useful to his thought process. Especially now after he had plenty of time alone to think.

"What will the key do?" John questioned. Sherlock looked over, an obvious answer.

"He used the key to get into official records and create Richard Brook." Sherlock said, watching John's 'thinking' face.

"So we could use the key to get back in and destroy Richard Brook then bring back Moriarty." John said after a moment.

"Yes. But the key is still missing." Sherlock said as he placed his hands together.

"Well he left it at the apartment. What did he touch when he came over?" John questioned, thinking of where they could start looking.

"What did he touch? He didn't touch anything, he just-" Sherlock started as it hit him like a bolt of lightning. Moriarty had not touched anything that day. He carved the apple and tapped his fingers. That was it, the tapping. He had left the computer codes in Sherlock's head.

Taking out his phone, Sherlock sealed his fate with two messages. One to Moriarty and another to a member of his homeless network. Sherlock carefully slipped his phone away and looked up to John, knowing that if he stayed that the plan would fail. John would protect Sherlock with his own life and Sherlock could not let that happen. Minutes passed before John's phone rang and he was quickly sent into a panic.

"Who was that?" Sherlock asked lazily, knowing exactly who it was.

"Paramedics. Mrs Hudon's been shot. Probably by one of those killers after you." John said as he grabbed his coat that had only recently been removed.

What?" Sherlock replied in monotone, it was lucky that John was not used to seeing Sherlock too emotional and so Sherlock could fool him.

"God. Jesus Christ. She's dying. We have to go." John said as emotions flooded him, Collette had been hurt in this and now they would lose Mrs Hudson. It was a cruel game that Moriaty played.

"You go, I'm busy." Sherlock replied as he looked down to his phone to see a reply.

"Busy?" John stopped to question.

"I need to think, I need to solve this." Sherlock replied as he dared to look up at an emotional John.

"You... what? Doesn't she mean anything to you? You once dropped a man out of the second story window for laying a finger on her!" John snapped, not understanding.

"She's my landlady." Sherlock replied.

"You, you machine! Sod this, you stay if you want. All on your own." John shouted.

"Alone is what I have, alone protects me." Sherlock said calmly.

"No, friends protect people." John answered before storming off and making a mad dash back to Baker street. Sherlock watched John go and considered his words. Would things have gone differently if he trusted John with his plans? Sherlock pushed the stray thought away and stood up, taking his time to prepare himself.

Sherlock walked out onto the hospital rooftop, it was morning now and the sun was shining. Despite having spent the entire day and night running around trying to solve this case, he was not tired. Sherlock was wide awake and ready to end all this once and for all. Moriarty sat to the side with his phone playing Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees. It seemed a little ironic that he would face his death with that song playing.

"So we're both finally here at last. Just the two of us, you and me. And our problem, the final problem. Staying alive, that's what it's all about isn't it? It's so boring, just staying... My entire life, I've been looking for distractions. You were the best distraction yet but even you've failed me. Because I've beaten you. You know something? It was easy, so easy. Now I'll have to go back to playing with the ordinary people and you know what? You're one of them, ordinary. Oh well..." Moriarty said, the idea of losing what he thought was an equal rival tearing at him. He didn't want to go back to life before, silly little people and their silly little problems. With a sigh he stood and walked closer to Sherlock to stand with him.

Sherlock did not reply, he merely looked down and knew that now was the time to put his plan into action and if all went well he would come out of it alive. He knew Moriarty would have something to push him to his death and it wouldn't be something as simple as murder. Sherlock was actually looking forward to finding out.

"Did almost start to wonder if I was real? Did I get ya?" Moriarty questioned with a smile.

"Richard Brook." Sherlock commented with a look.

"Nobody gets the joke, but you do." Moriarty stated rather than questioned.

"Of course." Sherlock replied.

"That's a boy." Moriarty said with a smile.

"Rich Brook in German is Reichenbach. The case that made my name." Sherlock explained to show he knew.

"Just trying to have some fun." Moriarty said in a mocking tone as he circled Sherlock and stopped to see him tapping his fingers.

"Got that too? Good." Moriarty said as he returned to face Sherlock.

"Beats like digits. Every beat is a one, every rest is a zero. Binary 's why all those assassins tried to save my life. It was hidden on me, hidden inside my head. A few simple lines of computer code that can break into any system." Sherlock continued to explain.

"Told all my clients about you. Last one to Sherlock is a sissy." Moriarty said.

"Yes but you forgot one thing. If I have the code I can use it to destroy Rich Brook, I can bring you back." Sherlock challenged. Moriarty's face fell.

"No, no, no. It's too easy. There is no code, idiot! There never was!" Moriarty snapped, disappointed.

"But you broke into the Tower of London." Sherlock replied.

"All a trick. A few helpful accomplices to push the right buttons at the right time." Moriarty explained.

"There is no code." Sherlock finished.

"I knew you'd fall for it. That's your weakness. You always want everything to be clever. Now shall we finish the game? One final act. Glad you chose a tall building. Nice way to do it." Moriarty said as he looked of to the ledge.

"Do what? Oh yes, my suicide." Sherlock replied, wondering how Moriarty would play this.

"Genius detective proved to be a fraud. I read it in the paper so it must be true. I love newspapers. Fairy tales... and pretty grim ones too." Moriarty explained, knowing the end was coming.

"I can still prove that you created an entirely false identity." Sherlock argued.

"Oh just kill yourself. It's a lot less effort. Go on. For me." Moriarty sighed.

"You're insane." Sherlock stated.

"You're just getting that now? Okay, let me give you a little extra incentive. Your friends will die if you don't." Moriarty said, showing his plan.

"John and Collette." Sherlock stated, the two most important people to him.

"Not just them, everyone." Moriarty replied.

"Mrs Hudson." Sherlock said.

"Yes." Moriarty replied.

"Lestrade." Sherlock finished, leaving off Molly. She was his backup, the one no one else would expect.

"Four bullets, four bodies. There's no stopping them now. Unless my people see you jump. You can have me arrested, you can torture me. You can do anything you like with me, but nothing's going to prevent them from pulling the trigger. Your only four friends in the world will die. Unless-" Moriarty explained.

"Unless I kill myself and complete your story." Sherlock ended.

"You gotta admit, that's sexier." Moriarty said with a smirk.

"And I die in disgrace." Sherlock replied.

"Of course. That's the point of this." Moriarty said as he watched Sherlock walk over to the ledge.

"Right." Sherlock muttered as he stopped before the ledge.

"Off you pop. I told you how this ends. Go on. Your death is the only thing that's going to call off the killers. I'm certainly not going to do it." Moriarty said, losing his patience.

"Would you give me some privacy please?" Sherlock asked as he stepped up onto the ledge. Moriarty started walking back, not really needing to see him fall. Sherlock looked down, thinking over Moriarty's last words and then he realised the way out. With relief, he began to chuckle.

"What?! What is it? What did I miss?" Moriarty turned and shouted, having thought the game was over. Sherlock stepped down from the ledge and walked over.

"You're not going to do it. So the killers can be called off then. There's a recall code or a word or a number. I don't have to die if I've got you." Sherlock said, proud of spotting Moriarty's slip up.

"Oh, you think you can make me stop the order? You think you can make me do that?" Moriarty questioned in disbelief.

"Yes and so do you." Sherlock replied with a smile.

"Sherlock, your big brother and all the King's horses couldn't make me do a thing I didn't want to." Moriarty argued.

"Yes, but I'm not my brother, remember? I am you. Prepared to do anything. Prepared to burn. Prepared to do what ordinary people won't do. You want me to shake hands with you in hell, I shall not disappoint you." Sherlock said seriously.

"Nah. You talk big. Nah. You're ordinary. You're ordinary. You're on the side of the angels." Moriarty replied, desperately trying to grasp onto what control he had left.

"Oh, I may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for one second that I am one of them." Sherlock said back, determined to win. Moriarty looked into Sherlock's eyes for a moment before smiling.

"No. You're not. I see. You're not ordinary. No. You're me. You're me. Thank you. Sherlock Holmes. Thank you. Bless you. As long as I'm alive, you can save your friends. You've got a way out. Well good luck with that." Moriarty replied as he took hold of Sherlock's hand to shake and with his spare hand removed the gun from his coat, shooting himself in the head. Sherlock jumped back quickly in shock, he knew Moriarty was unstable but not enough to kill himself.

Sherlock walked back to the ledge and looked down to the pavement below him. He was shaking, he had gone over this a million times in his head but his body still reacted the way anyone else's would just before they threw themselves from a building. He knew he would not die, he knew this but there was still fear. In the distance, he could see John walking towards the hospital. His trick to get him away had worked but now John had to witness the suicide. Sherlock did not know how the killers would discover Sherlock's death and so it had to be real to everyone, even John. Sherlock took out his phone and made the call.

"Sherlock, are you okay?" John asked as he answered his phone. Sherlock took some comfort in the sound of his doctor's voice.

"Turn around and walk back the other way." Sherlock ordered.

"What? No, I'm coming in." John replied.

"No, do as I say." Sherlock ordered again, sounding emotional. John did as he was told.

"Where?" John questioned as he walked.

"Stop there." Sherlock said, trying to keep himself from breaking down too much.

"Sherlock?" John asked out of concern.

"Now turn around, I'm on the rooftop." Sherlock said. John turned to see the dark coated figure standing on the ledge.

"Oh god." John said, it looked exactly the way Sherlock wanted it to look.

"I can't come down, so we'll have to do it this way." Sherlock said, gaining back some control despite knowing what was to come.

"What's going on?" John questioned, sounding scared.

"An apology. It's all true. Everything they said about me. I invented Moriarty. " Sherlock lied.

"What are you saying?" John questioned, not understanding.

"I'm a fake." Sherlock answered.

"Sherlock..." John said quietly, knowing it was not true.

"The newspapers were right all along. I want you to tell Collette, I want you to tell Lestrade, I want you to tell Mrs. Hudson and Molly. In fact, tell anyone who will listen to you. That I created Moriarty for my own purposes." Sherlock lied, knowing it had to be done.

"Okay, shut up, Sherlock. Shut up. The first time we met you knew all about my sister, right?" John replied, getting emotional now.

"Nobody could be that clever." Sherlock said shakily.

"You could." John said quickly, making Sherlock smile.

"I researched you. Before we met I discovered everything that I could to impress you. It's a trick. Its just a magic trick." Sherlock said, needing to convince John somehow.

"No, stop it now. What about Collette? You love her, remember? You can't do this to her." John said, finding any excuse he could to try to talk Sherlock out of it. What had happened to make him want to kill himself?

"She was just a trophy to be won, I couldn't research her so I thought I could win her over in another way. Tell her I'm sorry, won't you? Tell her to find someone else and move on. You both should move on." Sherlock said, feeling guilt as he knew how much he was hurting his friends.

"Enough of this, stay where you are and I'll come get you." John said, refusing to believe this could happen.

"No, you stay there. Keep your eyes fixed on me. Please, will you do this for me?" Sherlock asked, emotion breaking through his voice.

"Do what?" John questioned.

"This phone call, it's... it's my note. That's what people do, don't they? Leave a note." Sherlock replied.

"Leave a note when?" John asked, not following.

"Goodbye, John." Sherlock said as he ended the call and took the final step, throwing the phone as a few seconds flashed before him and his body hit the ground.

John stared in horror, screaming out Sherlock's name as he ran towards the body. John tripped hard on the concrete as a man on a bike bumped past him. Despite the ringing in his head, John forced himself to stand. He had to get to Sherlock, this was all some trick again. Sherlock was alive, he had to be alive.

By the time John got to Sherlock, there was a large group gathered round. He fought his way through, feeling faint from hitting his head and watching the fall. John stopped and was hit with an appalling sight. Sherlock's face was lifeless and covered in blood. Paramedics quickly came and took the body as John was held up. The following hours would be a blur.

Collette woke slowly, her head was swimming as she took in her surroundings. She was in a hospital bed. To the left of her, curtains were drawn to give the other patient in the room with her some privacy. To the right, John was half hunched over and asleep in a chair. He looked uncomfortable. Collette moved slowly and reached out to touch his hand. John's eyes opened quickly and looked over to Collette with a look of utter pain and heartbreak.

"John? What's wrong? I don't feel that bad... What happened to me? Is it all over? Did you get Moriarty?" Collette questioned all at once. She could vaguely remember a funny tasting apple pie. John sighed and prepared himself, he had insisted on being the one to tell her. Carefully he moved to sit on the bed with her and took her small hands in his.

"Moriarty poisoned you. You've been asleep for three days. It's all over now... Moriarty shot himself." John said, dreading the question that he knew would follow.

"Where's Sherlock? Bugging Molly in the morgue? I'd imagine sitting and waiting would bore him..." Collette said with a smile, happy that it was all over. Her smile fell quickly as tears appeared in John's eyes. Something was very wrong.

"He's... Oh Collette I'm so sorry. Sherlock... he's dead." John choked out, he wanted to be calm but the hurt was still too raw. Collette stared, not reacting but squeezing John's hands.

"No... no that's not true. Sherlock couldn't be dead. He just... he's too smart to die... he can't..." Collette rambled, heavily in denial.

"He jumped off the hospital rooftop... Collette I saw him fall and I saw... I saw his body... and..." John said but could say no more. Collette's face twisted into a look of pain that almost mirrored John's as the truth set in. John quickly pulled her into him, letting her bury her face into his shoulder as she cried out. The two let their sadness out and cried together for their loss.

Sherlock laid in his hospital bed with the curtains drawn. He was bandaged heavily, especially over his face to hide his identity. Molly had followed her side of the plan fully as he was currently being treated as someone else. The pain medication made his head swirl but it was not enough to block out the cries of heartache coming from the bed next to his. He silently cursed Molly who had placed him in the same room as Collette. Now Sherlock was forced to listen to both her and John. He would rather face death again than listen.

Two weeks passed, Sherlock had been in every newspaper. Each article claiming something different and more absurd. His funeral had been quiet and bittersweet as his few friends gathered and shared stories of their favourite detective. John and Collette had found a small flat near Baker street to live together. The Baker street flat itself was full of Sherlock, each room containing something that held memories. Right now, that was too painful for either of them.

"Are you two sure you don't want to come back? Both your rent is paid up for a few more months." Mrs Hudson asked as she held onto John's arm. The three walked slowly to Sherlock's gravestone.

"Not just yet, maybe one day." Collette answered quietly as she snuggled into her scarf. It was one of his, she had selected a few pieces of clothing from his wardrobe. While his main scarf had been on him the day of his death, he always kept a spare. Now that spare was hers, his smell still lasting on it a little and bringing her comfort.

"It's too... raw." John added, he had not been able to handle going back into that flat.

"Alright, wish I knew what to do with the lab equipment though. Maybe I should donate it to a school." Mrs Hudson mused.

"No, he'd hate that. Kids who don't know what they're doing playing around with his toys." Collette said, taking a brief moment to wonder what snarky line Sherlock would say.

"I'm angry." John said firmly as they stopped in front of the black stone. He had gone back to therapy sessions and it took a lot for him to admit such a simple thing as his feelings.

"It's okay, John. There's nothing unusual in that, that's the way he made everyone feel. All the marks on my table and the noise. Firing guns off at one in the morning. " Mrs Hudson said.

"Yeah..." John replied.

"Bloody specimens in my fridge. Imagine! Keeping bodies where there's food. And the fighting! Drove me up the wall with all his carryings on!" Mrs Hudson continued, earning looked from both John and Collette.

"Yeah, listen. I'm not actually that angry, okay?" John cleared up. Mrs Hudson nodded and sat down some flowers.

"Alright, I'll leave you two alone to, you know." Mrs Hudson said with a sniffle as she walked off.

"Would you like to go first?" John asked Collette.

"I get too emotional when I talk, I can never get it all out. So..." Collette said as she pulled a small letter from her pocket.

"I should have done that." John replied. Collette gave a small smile and placed the letter down with the flowers Mrs Hudson had left.

"I'll be right over there." Collette said as she walked away to give John some privacy but remained close. They felt responsible for one another and had always kept close in the past few weeks. John sighed, feeling better knowing that if he needed her, Collette would be there in a second.

"Um. Hm. You... you told me once that you weren't a hero. There were times that I didn't even think you were human. But let me tell you this, you were the best man and the most human... human being that I have ever known, and no one will ever convince me that you told me a lie. And so... there. I was so alone and I owe you so much. Please, there's just one more thing. One more thing. One more miracle, Sherlock, for me. Don't be... dead. Would you do that, just for me? Just stop it, stop this..." John forced out, he could not say it in therapy but he could say it now. Stepping forward, John touched the gravestone for a second before quickly walking over to Collette and taking her hand. With a look back, the two walked together to join Mrs Hudson.

Sherlock watched from a distance as the three left together. After a moment he approached his gravestone. More flowers from Mrs Hudson, as expected. Looking down he spotted the letter. He had seen Collette place something down and this must have been it. It felt strange to be opening a letter meant for the dead but as it was for him, he did not see much of a problem with reading it.

_"My dearest Sherlock,_

_When I first moved to London, I had no idea what I was doing. When I met you, I still had no idea what I was doing but it was ok because you no idea either. I thought you were the most annoying and self-centered man I had ever met. I still do. But you were so much more than all that. You were and probably will always be the world's only consulting detective. You were brilliant and you were mine._

_My world seems so much smaller now that you're not in it. John is convinced that you are still alive somehow. I wish I could believe that too but I can't. If you were still alive you then you would have left some crazy little clue to let us know by now. I keep looking for those clues, I keep hoping to find fingers in the butter or wake up in the middle of the night to the smell of gun powder. I think I will always keep looking._

_I promise you, I will look after John and Mrs Hudson as best I can. I will annoy Mycroft for you whenever possible and I'll keep an eye on the crimes section in the papers. But most of all, I will believe in you. Whether you're alive or dead, I know that Sherlock Holmes is a good man._

_Love and always yours,_

_Collette."_

Sherlock smiled to himself as he read the letter again, it was not the most meaningful but it was from her and that made it special. Sherlock thought that it might be time to return home.

**Author's note: Well that's the end for now, I hope you all enjoyed reading. I'd like to write more on how they react when he returns but I want to stay true to the series. When Season three of Sherlock returns then I will be bringing out a sequel for this story. Until then, check out my other stories and please review. Thanks everyone.**


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